Hurricane tracker reveals ‘remarkable change’ in Sara’s path as storm gets an overnight upgrade
Storm Sara caused a “remarkable change” overnight as it moved into the Gulf of Mexico.
The weather event was initially headed toward Florida and could potentially evolve into a Category 2 hurricane, but made landfall on Honduras as a tropical storm early Friday morning.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a warning today saying heavy rain will cause “catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides” over Central America.
And on Friday morning, Sara was located just south of the island of Roatan.
The storm is likely to turn northwest and flood Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula. But forecasters said it is unlikely to resurface in the Gulf after crossing the Yucatan.
The NHC also noted that even if Sara emerges from the Gulf, the environment is “not favorable for redevelopment.”
Meteorologist Tomer Burg said on showed.’
Forecasters said that while Florida has been spared, the lower Florida Keys could see marginal impacts from rainfall next week.
A hurricane tracker has revealed that Sara will not reach hurricane status and has been downgraded to a tropical storm
The storm is no longer expected to directly hit Florida, which will see only light rainfall this weekend before Sara fades out on Monday.
Sara’s unpredictable path changed dramatically this week.
Sara was expected to reach hurricane status at 7 p.m. ET on Thursday, reach Category 3 status two days later and reach Florida as a Category 2 hurricane next Wednesday, AccuWeather meteorologists predicted.
However, a newly released sSara showed the spaghetti model – so called because the lines resemble strands of pasta – through Central America until midnight on Monday.
But the winds could extend as far as 110 miles (170 km) from the center, bringing rain to Florida even though the storm won’t directly hit the state.
Meteorologist Nikki Nolan told us CBS News that despite the storm’s new path, “Florida residents should closely monitor forecast updates as they come in.”
Sara is expected to drop five to four inches of rain on Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua and the Mexican state of Quintana Roo.
The NHC forecast said isolated areas of Honduras could expect up to 70 centimeters of rain, which could lead to life-threatening flooding and landslides.
“Interests elsewhere in Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula should monitor the progress of this system,” the NHC said Friday morning.
“A storm surge could raise water levels along the immediate coast in areas with onshore winds along the northern coasts of Honduras and Guatemala by up to one meter above normal tide levels,” the agency continued.
‘Near the coast it will be accompanied by large, destructive waves.’
Sara is currently moving at a speed of 14 km per hour with winds of up to 80 km per hour as she approaches Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula
The Caribbean Sea has been a hotspot for tropical storm and hurricane development this season due to warmer-than-average temperatures extending 300 to 400 feet below the ocean’s surface.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), an average hurricane season produces fourteen named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes.
However, the agency predicted earlier this year that there would be an “above average” number of storms.
Sara is the 18th named storm of the 2024 hurricane season and is the third this month due to record-breaking warm waters in the Atlantic Ocean and Gulf of Mexico.