Hurricane Lisa makes landfall as Hurricane Martin forms, NHC eyes new system in Caribbean
Hurricane Lisa formed in the Caribbean on Wednesday morning, and made landfall in Central America hours later while Hurricane Martin took shape in the Atlantic Ocean and the National Hurricane Center has its eye on a system that could form in the Caribbean.
At 5:20 p.m. the NHC said Hurricane Lisa made landfall along the coast of Belize near the mouth of the Sibun River, about 10 miles southwest of Belize City. Its sustained winds fell back 80 mph at landfall to 75 mph as it moved west at 12 mph. Hurricane-force winds extend out 15 miles while tropical-storm-force winds extend out 70 mph.
A hurricane warning remained in effect for the entire coast of Belize and from Chetumal to Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico while a tropical storm warning is in place from Puerto Costa Maya to Punta Allen, Mexico.
“This general motion is expected to continue for the next day or so, bringing the center of Lisa across Belize, northern Guatemala, and southeastern Mexico. After that time, a turn to the northwest and a decrease in forward speed are expected as Lisa moves over the Bay of Campeche,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Richard Pasch. “Rapid weakening will occur after the center of Lisa moves inland.”
The system is expected to drop 4 to 6 inches with some areas with as much as 10 inches across parts of Belize and the Bay Islands, northern Guatemala and the southeast portion of the Mexican state of Chiapas; and 2 to 4 inches with some areas as much as 6 inches in portions of the far southeastern portion of the Yucatan Peninsula, Northern Honduras, and central Guatemala that could lead to flash flooding.
Up in the central Atlantic Ocean is Tropical Storm Martin formed into the season’s 7th hurricane Wednesday.
As of 5 p.m., Hurricane Martin was located about 1,125 miles west of the Azores Islands with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph moving northeast at 31 mph.
Hurricane-force winds extend out 45 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extend out 150 miles.
“Martin should get larger and stronger through tomorrow, then gradually lose strength from Thursday through the weekend, but remain a very large cyclone,” forecasters said.
The system is expected to transition into a large and powerful extratropical low with its five-day cone of uncertainty placing it near Ireland and Great Britain.
Finally, and closer to Florida, the NHC is tracking a broad area of low pressure in the eastern Caribbean that could develop this weekend near the Greater Antilles or over the southwest Atlantic.
“Some slow subtropical or tropical development of this system is possible afterward while it moves generally northward to northwestward,” forecasters said.
The NHC gives it a 20% chance to form in the next five days.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. The season’s 14 named systems through Martin have now met the NOAA forecast for 2022.
The NOAA has predicted to be an above average season with 14 to 21 named tropical storms. This follows 2020′s record 30 named systems and 2021′s 21 named storms.
