Tropical Storm Sara tracker: 2 feet of rain in forecast; flooding in Honduras

Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY

Updated Sat, November 16, 2024 at 5:45 PM UTC

3 min read

Tropical Storm Sara brought life-threatening floods and mudslides to parts of Central America on Saturday as it continued its trek near the Bay Islands of Honduras toward Belize. Its path isn't expected to impact the U.S., but forecasters said some of its remnants could be felt in Florida next week.

As of Saturday morning, the center of Sara was located about 5 miles east of Isla Roatan, Honduras, with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph with higher gusts.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect Saturday across much of the northern coast of Honduras, the Bay Islands, the Caribbean Sea coast of Guatemala, the coast of Belize and the coast of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya south to Chetumal.

Some of these areas could see 15-25 inches of rain through next week from Sara, with some isolated totals of around 35 inches in northern Honduras.

Sara was moving west and is expected to continue its approach toward Belize on Saturday before making landfall there during the day on Sunday. From there, Sara should weaken and dissipate late Sunday or Monday, the National Hurricane Center said.

Sara's rains caused widespread flooding on Honduras' northern coast, causing the government to declare a national emergency Friday afternoon. Residents were urged to stay away from flood-prone areas, especially along riverbanks.

A cyclist rides on a flooded street during the passage of tropical storm Sara in La Ceiba, Honduras, on Nov. 15, 2024. Honduras' President Xiomara Castro said emergency services had been activated to deal with "damage already caused by the rains," warning that Sara's impacts "could become a catastrophic event."

Stalled storm reminiscent of previous disaster

On Friday night, the National Hurricane Center reported Sara was stationary just offshore of the northern coast of Honduras.

Hurricane Mitch took a similar slow journey through Honduras in 1998, dropping 35.89 inches of rain in Coluteca, on the southern coast. The National Hurricane Center’s final report said higher rainfall totals might have gone unreported.

Mitch was one of the deadliest Atlantic hurricanes in history, killing at least 9,000 people, primarily in Honduras, where it killed 5,677, and Nicaragua, where 2,863 died.

'Catastrophic' flooding in Central America

By Friday, roads were flooded after the Arizona River overflowed from Sara's rainfall in Tela, Honduras, on the northern coast. A bridge partially collapsed when the Cangrejal River overflowed in La Ceiba, where homes along the river were also flooded.

About 1,000 Hondurans have evacuated to shelters, government officials said Friday.

People gather at the site of a partial bridge collapse after the Cangrejal River overflowed its banks due to heavy rain brought by Tropical Storm Sara in La Ceiba, Honduras, on Nov. 15, 2024.

"This rainfall will lead to widespread areas of life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides, especially along and near the Sierra La Esperanza," the hurricane center said.

Between 1 and 3 feet of storm surge on the northern coast of Honduras and near where Sara crosses the coast of Belize could bring with it "large and destructive waves."

Rainfall totals could be 5-10 inches, with up to 15 in some spots, throughout the rest of Honduras, as well as all of Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua and Quintana Roo, Mexico.