Depression strengthens to Tropical Storm Julia in Caribbean
Tropical Depression 13 strengthened to Tropical Storm Julia in the southern Caribbean Sea on Friday and is expected to power up to a hurricane as it heads west toward Central America, forecasters said.
The storm is not a threat to Florida or other parts of the United States.
Julia was moving at about 15 mph with maximum sustained winds of about 40 mph, the National Hurricane Center said Friday. The storm is expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday evening while it moves over the southwestern Caribbean. The forecast track showed the storm making landfall along the Nicaragua coast Sunday morning.
A hurricane warning was in effect Friday for San Andres, Providencia, and Santa Catalina Islands. A hurricane watch was in effect for much of the Nicaragua coast. Hurricane-force winds and a dangerous storm surge are expected in areas where the core of the system crosses the islands and moves onshore.
The risk of flash flooding continued Friday over portions of Colombia’s Guajira Peninsula. The potential for life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides is expected to spread to portions of Central America this weekend.
After landfall, the forecasters expect Julia and its remnants should remain over Central America and southern Mexico through Tuesday.
Elsewhere, Tropical Depression 12 dissipated to a remnant area of low pressure in the Eastern Atlantic on Thursday night and the Hurricane Center is no longer issuing advisories on that system.
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