Tropical Storm Sara pounds Central America and leaves at least 1 dead after torrential rain

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Tropical Storm Sara started moving slightly faster Saturday after it stalled over Honduras, drenching the northern coast of the Central American nation, swelling rivers and trapping some people at home.

One death was reported Saturday morning by Honduras Emergency Management, who also said that there have been at least 90 rescues and over 47,000 people affected by the storm.

Sustained rain fell overnight and continued Saturday in the city of San Pedro Sula, where the storm cut off access to an entire community when a river crossing washed away. Through the weekend, the region could see life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center. Portion of northern Honduras could see rainfall amounts ranging from 15 to 40 inches, the hurricane center said.

People walk away from the flooded Bermejo river in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, due to the heavy rains left by tropical storm Sara on Nov. 16, 2024.

ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images

As of Saturday night, Sara had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was centered about 90 miles southeast of Belize City moving northwest at 5 mph. It was forecast to see an increase in speed until it makes landfall in Belize on Sunday.

The weather system made landfall late Thursday about 105 miles west-northwest of Cabo Gracias a Dios, on the Honduras-Nicaragua border.

After reaching Belize, Sara is then expected to turn northwesterly toward Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula, though forecasters said it probably will not reemerge into the Gulf after crossing the Yucatan.

“Little change in strength is anticipated until landfall on Sunday, with dissipation expected over the southern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula by early Monday,” the hurricane center said.

Rain-soaked Honduran residents were on edge Saturday as the conditions brought back memories of the disastrous November 2020 hurricane season, when two powerful storms passed through the region, displacing hundreds of thousands of people and causing widespread damage.

People cross a flooded creek on an under-construction bridge near San Pedro Sula, Honduras on Nov. 16, 2024.

ORLANDO SIERRA/AFP via Getty Images

Standing on a riverbank, Carlos Canelas, 48, acknowledged many residents like his mother had ignored official warnings to evacuate the Flor de Cuba neighborhood of San Pedro Sula. By Saturday morning, the 77-year-old woman was cut off from the rest of the city because the river crossing collapsed and remained home with her 35-year-old special-needs son.

“That is why I did not go to work, but there is little or nothing I can do,” he said. “I can cross the river swimming, but how do I get my mother out?”

The storm, however, did not stop a CONCACAF Nations League soccer match Friday in San Pedro Sula. Under heavy rain, Mexico lost 2-0 to Honduras.

A satellite image of Tropical Storm Sara over Honduras at 10:55 p.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 16, 2024.

NOAA

In November 2020, storms Eta and Iota passed through Honduras after initially making landfall in Nicaragua as powerful Category 4 hurricanes. Northern Honduras caught the worst of the storms with torrential rains that set off flooding that displaced hundreds of thousands. Eta alone was responsible for as much as 30 inches of rain along the northern coast.

The Hurricane Center on Saturday said storm surge could raise water levels along Honduras’ immediate northern coast areas by as much as 3 feet above normal.

“Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” according to the center. “A storm surge could raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above ground level near and to the north of where the center of Sara crosses the coast of Belize.”

Sara, the 18th named storm of the 2024 Atlantic Hurricane Season, is expected to linger in the Caribbean through the weekend and slowly move into the Gulf of Mexico early next week. After that, its path is less clear. CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan said a lot of the models are now trending towards it dissipating either after it enters the Gulf of Mexico or over Mexico, but several still have it aiming towards Florida.

“Florida residents should closely monitor the forecast updates as they come in,” Nolan advised.

The Atlantic Hurricane Season officially runs from June 1 until Nov. 30, with activity typically peaking between mid-August and mid-October. An average season brings 14 named storms, seven hurricanes, and three major hurricanes, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which did predict the 2024 season would produce “above average” numbers.