The center of Central America LISA will pass near or over the Honduran Bay Islands early Wednesday and reach Belize late Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Lisa is intensifying as it moves toward Central America and is forecast to become a hurricane in the northwest Caribbean Sea, the United States National Center for Hurricane (NHC) between Tuesday night and early Wednesday .
Lisa’s maximum sustained winds increased to 100 kilometers per hour (65mph).
The NHC reported that the Honduran government issued a hurricane warning for the Gulf Islands and north of Puerto Barrios to south of Chetumal.
The Center for Atmospheric, Oceanographic and Seismic Studies of Honduras (CENAOS) reported that after noon on Tuesday, the cloud bands associated with LISA will begin producing “weak and scattered” rain and showers. However, the wind speed will increase at night.
Tropical Storm Lisa was located 335 km east of Roatan Island, in Honduras and 530 km east of Belize City, at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The storm is moving at a speed of 24 km/h.
The Guatemalan government changed the Tropical Storm Watch to a tropical storm warning for its entire Caribbean coast. Guatemala’s National Institute of Seismology, Volcanology, Meteorology and Hydrology (INSIVUMEH) assured that monitoring is on for the cyclone, which will approach its territory as a tropical storm and later turn into a depression.
The forward speed of the storm is expected to decrease in the coming days. According to the NHC, the center of LISA will pass over the southern Cayman Islands on Tuesday, pass near or over the Honduran Bay Islands early Wednesday and reach Belize on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, the Mexican government issued a Hurricane Watch from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya, and a Tropical Storm Warning from Chetumal to Punta Herrero. Mexico’s Meteorological Service (SMN) announced that “very heavy rain” is expected in parts of Quintana Roo, where popular tourist centers such as Cancun and Playa del Carmen are located.
Tropical storm force winds extend up to 70 miles (110 km) from the center of the cyclone.
The Belize National Weather Service issued a hurricane watch on Tuesday afternoon for its entire coast from north of Puerto Barrios in Guatemala to south of Chetumal, Mexico. It will issue a similar alert for smaller ships tonight. “Boats are advised to make all necessary preparations,” the government said.
“Due to the direct impact of this system, an increase in rainfall is expected to start from Wednesday, mainly from the north to the center of the country,” INSIVUMEH said. According to the weather service, the most vulnerable departments would be Izabal, Petén, Alta Verapaz, Norte de Quiche and Huehuetenango.
A tropical storm watch means that tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch area, and is usually issued 36 hours before the impact is felt.
Lisa could drop 4 to 6 inches of rain in Belize, the Gulf Islands of Honduras, northern Guatemala and the state of Chiapas in southeastern Mexico, which could trigger flash floods.
Once upgraded to a hurricane, Lisa will become the sixth to make landfall this 2022 hurricane season.
Source: VOA.
