- Tropical Depression Sara is weakening as it moves inland over Mexico.
- The US Weather Agency warned that rainfall in Mexico could lead to flooding and mudslides.
- More than 110,000 people were affected by the storm and 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes.
Slow-moving Tropical Depression Sara headed toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula after causing widespread flooding in Honduras and Belize, killing at least one person and forcing thousands to flee, officials said Sunday.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) expected Hurricane Sara to weaken as it moved inland over the Mexican state of Quintana Roo, but warned that rainfall in the region could lead to flooding and mudslides.
The Miami-based weather service estimates Sara’s maximum wind speed is 56 kilometers per hour, while its northwesterly movement has increased to 19 kilometers per hour.
The center of the storm is currently located about 257 kilometers southeast of Campeche, Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center’s latest report.
“Don’t take anything for granted! Secure loose objects and everything that could become a projectile,” Mexican National Emergency Services advised in a post on X.
Honduran risk management officials said more than 110,000 people were affected by the storm, about 8,000 people were evacuated from their homes and about 5,000 were moved to shelters.
It listed 1,700 communities whose communications were cut off as more rain continued to fall on Sunday in most parts of the country, especially in the eastern and southern regions.
Some coffee plantations in Honduras, Central America’s largest producer, in low-lying coastal areas in the northeast and south were also likely affected, but damage estimates were not immediately available.
Over the weekend, Hurricane Sarah moved northwest, making landfall in neighboring Belize, home to ancient ruins, beach resorts and coral reefs popular with tourists.
In a virtual press conference on Sunday, Belize’s chief meteorologist, Ronald Gordon, noted that about 30 centimeters of rain fell on the central coastal town of Dangriga, south of Belize City, while stressing the risk of localized flooding.
Earlier in the day, the Belize government urged local residents to hold religious services remotely, while announcing that all schools would be suspended on Monday as a precaution.