Tropical Storm Sara made landfall in Belize on Sunday as forecasters expect heavy rains to cause life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
The storm made landfall near Dangriga, about 60 miles (90 kilometers) southeast of the capital Belmopan, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said.
This comes next Sara has soaked the northern coast of Honduraswhere it has been at a standstill since Friday, causing rivers to swell and people to be stuck at home.
Moises Castillo / AP
One death was reported Saturday morning by Honduras Emergency Management, which also said there have been at least 90 rescues and more than 47,000 people have been affected by the storm.
Sunday’s Hurricane Center tropical storm warning included Honduras’ Bay Islands as well as the country’s northern coast, from Punta Castile to the Guatemalan border; the Caribbean coast of Guatemala; The coast of Belize and north to the coast of the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya.
The storm, moving at 6 mph, will continue to move inland across the Yucatan Peninsula and could drop up to 10 inches of rain on the area through early next week, with localized totals of 16 inches. The conditions “will result in areas of flash flooding, perhaps significant, along with the possibility of mudslides,” the Hurricane Center said.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
“A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above ground level near and north of where downtown Sara intersects with the Belize coast,” the center said Sunday. “Near the coast it will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”
Sara is the 18th called storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane seasonwhich officially runs from June 1 to November 30, with activity typically peaking between mid-August and mid-October. An average season sees 14 named storms, seven hurricanes and three major hurricanes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which predicted the 2024 season would produce “above average” numbers.
