Tropical Storm Sara Makes Landfall In Northern Honduras And Brings Heavy Rain To Central America

By MOISES CASTILLO Associated Press
SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras (AP) — Tropical Storm Sara made landfall in northern Honduras late Thursday and threatened to dump torrential rains across parts of Central America and southern Mexico.
Sara hit land about 105 miles (165 kilometers) west-northwest of the Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Honduras-Nicaragua border, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. That is near Brus Laguna, a village of about 13,000 inhabitants. There are few other population centers nearby.
At 3 a.m. (0900 GMT) the center said the storm was located about 100 kilometers (65 miles) east-southeast of Belize City in Honduras and moving west at 9 mph (15 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph).
The storm was expected to remain roughly on that path before heading out to sea again and threatening the coast of Belize.
Sara was forecast to pass over or very near the tourist destination of Roatan off Honduras’ coast on Sunday. The storm was then expected to turn northwesterly toward Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula.
Mexican authorities warned it could cause “intense rains” over the resort-studded Yucatan Peninsula.
Sara was forecast to drop 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 centimeters) of rain, with up to 30 inches (75 centimeters) in isolated areas. The heavy rain could lead to life-threatening flooding and landslides, the center said.
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