ATLANTA, Georgia — Data from Air Force Hurricane Hunters indicate winds on Tropical Depression Nineteen have increased, and now Tropical Storm Sara has formed.
Maximum sustained winds are 40 mph with higher gusts. Tropical Storm-force winds extend outward 70 miles from the center. The minimum pressure is 999 mb.
The storm is expected to strengthen a little more if it stays over water. The latest track shows it moving slowly along the northern coast of Honduras for the next few days. It will then move inland near Belize and lose strength as is moves across the Yucatan Peninsula. The latest NHC track show the storm falling apart before it emerges into the Gulf.
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A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for parts of coastal Honduras. A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for northern coastal Nicaragua.
This is going to be a big rain-maker in Central America! Rain amounts of 10 to 20 inches are likely in Honduras, where life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides are likely. Other areas in Central America could see 5 to 10 inches, including Nicaragua, Belize, El Salvador, and Guatemala.
Even though the latest NHC track shows the storm dissipating before emerging into the Gulf, some of the latest spaghetti models show the storm entering the Gulf of Mexico. We will have to watch if it is able to regain strength. It is still too early for models to agree on direction and strength.
We will keep you updated on this storm and the potential impacts that it could have in the United States.
Sara is the 18th named storm of this hurricane season in the Atlantic.
November hurricanes are not as common. The last storm to make landfall in the United States in this month was Hurricane Nicole in 2022.
