Julia made landfall as a hurricane in Nicaragua on Sunday, bringing a forecast of devastating winds and life-threatening flash floods.
Julia landed as a Category 1 storm before dawn on Sunday in the Central American country, according to the National Hurricane Center. Based on the latest update from the hurricane center, the storm has been downgraded to a tropical storm as it traveled closer to the capital of Managua late Sunday morning.
Julia entered near Laguna de Perlas, a coastal municipality nearly twice the size of San Antonio and a few hours outside of Managua. As the storm crosses over the country from the Atlantic to the Pacific coastline, tropical storm warnings are in effect for the coastal communities along Nicaragua, Honduras and El Salvador.
The storm brings 70 mph winds and “life-threatening flash floods and mudslides possible over Central America and Southern Mexico,” according to the National Hurricane Center.
Julia grew from a tropical cyclone into a Category 1 storm on Saturday. It is expected to remain a tropical cyclone when it exits Nicaragua Sunday night and travels by El Salvador’s coastline by Monday morning. The storm will journey near Guatemala before dissipating near Southern Mexico by Tuesday.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for the Pacific coast of Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. Tropical storm conditions are expected to hit between the next 24 and 36 hours.
Hurricane season began in June and so far five hurricanes have been named, including Ian, which devastated Southwest Florida in late September. More storms could develop between now and the end of the season in late November. So far, there’s more than 10 storms on the main list for the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.
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