Tropical Storm Sara Menaces Honduras With Catastrophic Floods

Tropical Storm Sara has formed off the coast of Honduras, threatening to unleash catastrophic flooding and landslides across Central America.

Sara, the Atlantic’s 18th named storm this season, had top winds of 40 miles (64 kilometers) per hour and was about 50 miles northeast of the Nicaraguan-Honduran border, the US National Hurricane Center said in a statement at 1 p.m. New York time.

Through early next week, the storm is forecast to bring as much as 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain, with some isolated spots getting up to 30 inches. That’s likely to trigger life-threatening flooding and mudslides.

With 18 storms so far during the hurricane season that began June 1, the Atlantic is well beyond the average of 14 named systems. So far this year, the US has been hit by five hurricanes, including deadly Helene and Milton. The six-month season is set to end on Nov. 30. Water temperatures are record-high in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, according to University of Miami researcher Brian McNoldy, helping provide fuel for storms late in the year.

Sara is forecast to scrape the coast of Honduras through the weekend before making landfall in Belize and crossing Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula. It will likely re-emerge in the Gulf of Mexico early next week as a tropical depression. Some computer forecast models show its remnants eventually reaching Florida.