Oct. 5 (UPI) — The eye of Tropical Storm Nate was located Honduras-Nicaragua border Thursday evening, the National Hurricane Center said.
In its 8 p.m. advisory, the NHC said Nate was located about 45 miles west of Puerto Lempira, Honduras, and 390 miles south-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. It was moving north-northwest at 10 mph.
“On the forecast track, the center of Nate will continue to move over eastern Honduras [Thursday] evening and over the northwestern Caribbean Sea [Thursday night] and Friday,” the NHC said in its advisory. “The center is then expected to move near or over the northeastern part of the Yucatan Peninsula and the adjacent islands late Friday or Friday night, and move into the Gulf of Mexico on Saturday.”
Forecasters said Nate likely will strengthen over the northwestern Caribbean on Thursday night and early Friday.
A tropical storm warning was in effect for Sandy Bay Sirpi, Nicaragua, to Punta Castilla, Honduras, and Punta Herrero, Mexico, to Rio Lagartos, Mexico. A hurricane watch is in effect for Punta Herrero to Rio Lagartos.
Southern Honduras can expect 6 to 10 inches of rainfall, northern Costa Rica and El Salvador should anticipate 3 to 6 inches of isolated rainfall accumulations, and northern Honduras, Nicaragua, eastern Yucatan, Belize and western Cuba could get between 2 and 4 inches.
Flash floods and mudslides could be potentially life-threatening for portions of Central America.
“There is the potential for a tropical storm or hurricane to make landfall along the Gulf coast from southeastern Louisiana to the Florida Panhandle this weekend,” AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said.
Including Nate, there have been 13 tropical storms, eight hurricanes and four major hurricanes so far this season.
