Tropical Storm Sara tracker: Storm could cause 'life-threatening' flooding in Honduras
Editor's note: Follow Saturday's updates on Sara's forecast and flooding
The National Hurricane Center said Friday afternoon that Tropical Storm Sara is meandering near the northern coast of Honduras and that heavy rainfall from the storm is likely to cause "life-threatening" flash flooding and mudslides into early next week for portions of Central America. The storm is not predicted have any direct impact on the U.S., though some of its remnants could still impact Florida later next week.
As of Friday afternoon, the center of Sara was located about 30 miles southwest of Isla Guanaja, Honduras, with maximum sustained winds near 50 mph with higher gusts.
The storm is moving west, and a continued westward motion at a slower forward speed is expected over the next day or so, according to the hurricane center. The center of Sara is forecast to move close to the northern coast of Honduras through early Saturday, then approach the coast of Belize early Sunday, forecasters said Friday morning.
Sara is expected to approach Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico late this weekend, where there is a risk of strong winds. Residents in these areas should monitor the latest forecast updates, the hurricane center warned.
"Some slight strengthening is possible during the next couple of days if the center of Sara remains over water to the north of Honduras," the NHC said in an advisory Friday, adding that dissipation is expected after the weekend.
Relatively minor wind shear and high water temperatures could aid the strengthening process, according to AccuWeather.
Could Sara affect the US?
According to the hurricane center, "after moving into the Yucatan, Sara is expected to quickly weaken, and what remains of the system when it emerges into the Bay of Campeche in the Gulf of Mexico is not very favorable for redevelopment."
However, if the storm remains strong as it passes over Central America and southeastern Mexico, Sara or its remnants could track into the Gulf of Mexico, where it could re-strengthen and threaten Florida with flooding rain, storm surge and damaging winds, AccuWeather meteorologists say.
Tropical Storm Sara tracker
Tropical Storm Sara spaghetti models
Illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The hurricane center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
Central America to get slammed with rain
Through early next week, rainfall amounts of 10 to 20 inches, with isolated storm totals around 35 inches, are expected over northern Honduras, the NHC said Friday.
"This rainfall will lead to widespread areas of life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides," the hurricane center said.
Elsewhere across the rest of Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua, and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, Sara is expected to produce 5 to 10 inches of rain with localized totals around 15 inches through early next week.
Storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds along the northern coast of Honduras and Guatemala, the NHC said Friday.
(This story has been updated to add new information.)
Gabe Hauari is a national trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can follow him on X @GabeHauari or email him at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Tropical Storm Sara tracker: See projected path, spaghetti models