Fri | Dec 8, 2023

Caribbean storm likely to gain force, hit Central America

Published:Thursday | June 30, 2022 | 5:34 PM
As the latest tropical disturbance advances through the area, Venezuela shuttered schools, opened shelters and restricted air and water transportation today as President Nicolas Maduro noted that the South American country already has been struggling with recent heavy rains. - AP Photo

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — A storm that has hurled rain on the southern Caribbean and the northern shoulder of South America was expected to hit Central America as a tropical storm over the weekend and eventually develop into a hurricane over the Pacific, forecasters said today.

The fast-moving disturbance known merely as Potential Tropical Cyclone Two has been drenching parts of the Caribbean region since Monday without ever meeting the criteria for a named tropical storm.

This evening, it was blowing past the northernmost part of Colombia and was centered about 540 miles (870 kilometers) east of Bluefields on Nicaragua's Atlantic coast, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. A hurricane watch was in effect from the Nicaragua-Costa Rica border to Laguna de Perlas in Nicaragua.

It was moving west at 20 mph (31 kph) and was projected to hit the Nicaragua-Costa Rica area as a tropical storm by late Friday or Saturday.

The storm had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) — right at the edge of tropical storm force, through with ragged wind circulation, apparently due to its rapid advance westward. The Hurricane Center said that pace should be slowing.

The storm was expected to drop three to five inches (75 to 125 millimeters) of rain on parts of northern Colombia, then four to eight inches (125 to 250 millimeters) on Nicaragua and Costa Rica, posing the threat of flash flooding.

Venezuela and several Caribbean islands closed schools as the storm approached over recent days.

Follow The Gleaner on Twitter and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.