MEXICO CITY (AP) — Tropical Storm Julia is gaining energy heading westward within the southern Caribbean, and authorities are getting ready for a potential hurricane on Colombian islands and in Nicaragua.
Julia’s most sustained winds had elevated to 45 mph (75 kmh) late Friday, the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Heart mentioned. The storm was centered about 360 miles (575 kilometers) east of Providencia Island and transferring west at 17 mph (28 kph).
Julia was forecast to go close to or over Colombia’s San Andres and Providencia islands Saturday evening on its approach to landfall in Nicaragua on Sunday morning.
Colombian President Gustavo Petro mentioned through Twitter that the federal government was getting ready shelters on the islands. Officers on San Andres introduced a curfew for residents starting at 6 a.m. Saturday to restrict individuals within the streets.
Yolanda González, director of Colombia’s Hydrology, Meteorology and Environmental Research Institute, mentioned Julia could possibly be a Class 1 hurricane when it passes the islands.
A higher risk than Julia’s winds have been rains of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 centimeters) — as much as 15 inches (38 centimeters) in remoted areas — that the storm was anticipated to dump throughout Central America.
“This rainfall might trigger life-threatening flash floods and mudslides by means of this weekend,” the U.S. Nationwide Hurricane Heart mentioned.
The storm’s remnants have been forecast to brush throughout Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico, a area already saturated by weeks of heavy rains.
Post a Comment