Tropical Storm Lisa formed in the Caribbean Sea on Monday and is forecast to become a hurricane before making landfall in Central America this week.
Lisa is the 12th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and is not a threat to Florida. The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring a disturbance in the central Atlantic that has a low chance of development.
Lisa is slightly stronger Monday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds near 45 mph with higher gusts, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The storm was about 185 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 360 miles southeast of Grand Cayman, as of the hurricane center’s 2 p.m. Eastern time advisory Monday. The system is forecast to pass to the south of Jamaica on Monday and the Cayman Islands on Tuesday.
Forecasters expect Jamaica, which is under a tropical storm watch, will likely feel tropical storm conditions Monday. The tropical storm watch for the Cayman Islands was discontinued at 11 a.m. Monday.
The hurricane center expects Lisa will continue strengthening as it moves west to west-northwest at 14 mph over the Caribbean’s warm waters. The forecast shows it turning into a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds near 75 mph Wednesday before making landfall in Central America, possibly in Belize.
“Interests along the coast of Central America, especially near Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, should monitor the progress of this system,” the hurricane center said. “Additional watches and warnings will likely be required by late today.”
Forecasters on Monday afternoon also began monitoring a disturbance about 300 miles northeast of Bermuda, which has a small window to see some additional subtropical or tropical development before it gets absorbed by a larger extratropical low.
The system is moving east-northeast over the Atlantic, keeping it away from the United States.
It has a low 10% chance of formation through the next two to five days, according to the hurricane center.
