Reuters | | Posted by Lingamgunta Nirmitha Rao
Tropical storm Julia was a hurricane on Saturday night because it handed the Colombian island San Andres and headed towards the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua with most sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/hr), the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Middle (NHC) stated.
“Life-threatening flash floods and mudslides attainable from heavy rains over Central America and Southern Mexico by means of early subsequent week,” the NHC stated.
The storm is barreling towards Nicaragua “in a rush,” NHC stated earlier on Saturday.
The storm was 10 miles (15 kilometers) from San Andres island and about 140 miles (225 kilometers) from the Nicaraguan coast, the place it’s anticipated to make landfall in a single day, in accordance with the NHC.
Central American nations initiated emergency alerts forward of Julia’s arrival, only one week after Hurricane Ian pummeled Cuba and Florida.
Colombia President Gustavo Petro stated in a speech at a regional summit on Saturday afternoon that he hoped “the harm can be lower than final time,” referring to the destruction within the Caribbean from Hurricane Iota in 2020. He known as on resort chains to “open their doorways for shelter.”
After making landfall in Nicaragua, the hurricane is anticipated to steadily weaken because it crosses the nation, earlier than shifting north alongside the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala on Sunday and Monday, the NHC stated. The storm may deliver flash flooding to southern Mexico early subsequent week, NHC stated.