NOV 15, V7N- Tropical Storm Sara, the 18th named storm of the hyperactive 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, is bearing down on Central America, bringing the risk of catastrophic flooding and mudslides. Forming on Thursday near the Honduras-Nicaragua border, the storm is expected to track along the region’s coast in the coming days.

With maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, Sara is projected to strengthen slightly as it moves toward Honduras on Thursday before slowing down and skimming the coastline over the weekend. The storm may briefly make landfall in Honduras but is likely to draw enough energy from the warm waters of the western Caribbean Sea to sustain itself.

Although earlier forecasts warned residents along the eastern Gulf of Mexico to monitor the storm, the National Hurricane Center now predicts that Sara may not survive its passage over Central America and Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula.

Sara’s formation underscores the unusual activity this hurricane season, which has defied expectations. Despite November typically marking a winding down of tropical activity, Sara is already the third named storm this month, fueled by exceptionally warm ocean waters driven by climate change.

END/CLM/RH/