Julia strengthens into hurricane; forecast shows heavy rain, flash flood risk in Central America
Julia strengthened into a hurricane late Saturday while passing near the islands of San Andres and Providencia.
The system, considered no threat to Florida, was rushing through the Caribbean Sea toward Central America, where it was expected to make landfall in Nicaragua this weekend.
The fifth hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season formed about 10 miles south of the Colombian island of San Andres, the National Hurricane Center announced around 7 p.m. Saturday. The Category 1 hurricane was about 140 miles east of Bluefields, Nicaragua and had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph.
The forecast showed it making landfall along Nicaragua’s coast late Saturday or early Sunday.
Hurricane Julia is expected to bring heavy rain to Central America and southern Mexico over the next few days, enough for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides to be possible through early next week. Evacuations began Saturday across parts of Nicaragua.
Where is Hurricane Julia going?
Julia’s tropical storm winds were already being felt on the Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina, with hurricane conditions expected to begin Saturday night. Forecasters say parts of Nicaragua would feel tropical storm conditions Saturday night, with hurricane conditions expected overnight and into Sunday. Other parts of Central America, such as Honduras and El Salvador may start to feel tropical storm conditions Sunday.
“Weakening is expected once Julia moves inland, but it is forecast to still be a tropical storm when it moves off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua late Sunday,” the hurricane center said in its afternoon advisory.
Forecasters expect Julia, or its remnants, will then move west, parallel to the coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala Sunday night and Monday. The hurricane center says it should weaken into a tropical depression on Monday and dissipate by Monday night.
“There is an increasing chance that Julia could remain as a tropical storm while it moves across Central America, and tropical storm warnings and watches have been issued along the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador to account for the possibility of tropical-storm-force winds in those areas late Sunday and Monday,” the hurricane center said. Julia watches/warnings
Hurricane warning in effect for Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina, and also for Nicaragua from Bluefields to Puerto Cabezas.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Nicaragua south of Bluefields to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border. Also, Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/ Nicaragua border. A warning is also in effect for the entire coast of El Salvador.
A tropical storm watch is in effect for Honduras from the Nicaragua/Honduras border to Punta Patuca.