TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tropical Storm Julia is expected to become a hurricane Saturday as it continues to strengthen, according to the National Hurricane Center.
A recent advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the system was located about 80 miles east-southeast of Isla de San Andres, Colombia, and about 225 miles east of Bluefield, Nicaragua.
The tropical storm had max sustained winds of 65 mph and was moving west at 18 mph.
Julia presents no threat to the United States at this time, but is projected to make landfall in Nicaragua as a category 1 hurricane Sunday morning.
“Hurricane-force winds and dangerous storm surge are expected in areas where the core of the system crosses the islands later today and moves onshore in Nicaragua early Sunday morning,” the NHC wrote Saturday morning.
The hurricane will then move further inland where it will continue to weaken. However, it is expected to cause flash floods and mudslides, with flooding possible even across the Isthmus of Tehuantepec in Mexico.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
- San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Islands Colombia
- 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
- Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border
- Pacific coast of Nicaragua
- Pacific coast of Honduras
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:
- Honduras from the Nicaragua/Honduras border to Punta Patuca
- Coast of El Salvador
The rain Julia is expected to bring may pose an even greater threat than the wind, with 5 to 10 inches — and up to 13 to 25 inches in isolated areas — expected across parts of Central America.
The storm’s remnants were forecast to sweep across Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico, a region already saturated by weeks of heavy rains.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
