Tropical Storm Nate Moving Offshore Of Honduras
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) -- The center of Tropical Storm Nate is moving offshore of the eastern coast of Honduras.
At 11 p.m., the center of storm was about 335 miles south-southeast of Cozumel, Mexico.
Nate is moving toward the northwest near 12 mph. A turn toward the north-northwest is expected overnight, with Nate accelerating along that heading through Saturday.
On the forecast track, the center of Nate will move offshore the eastern coast of Honduras during the next several hours, move across the northwestern Caribbean Sea on Friday, and reach the eastern coast of the Yucatan peninsula Friday evening.
SUMMARY OF WATCHES AND WARNINGS IN EFFECT:
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for...
* Punta Castilla Honduras to the Honduras/Nicaragua border
* Punta Herrero to Rio Lagartos Mexico
A Storm Surge Watch is in effect for...
* Morgan City Louisiana to the Alabama/Florida border
* Northern and western shores of Lake Pontchartrain
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for...
* Morgan City Louisiana to the Mississippi/Alabama border
* Metropolitan New Orleans
* Lake Pontchartrain and Lake Maurepas
* Punta Herrero to Rio Lagartos Mexico
A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for...
* Mississippi/Alabama border to the Okaloosa/Walton County Line
* West of Morgan City to Intracoastal City Louisiana
Nate will then move into the southern Gulf of Mexico Friday night and approach the northern Gulf coast Saturday evening.
Maximum sustained winds are near 40 mph (65 km/h) with higher gusts.
Strengthening is forecast during the next couple of days, and Nate is expected to become a hurricane by the time it reaches the central Gulf of Mexico.
Tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles (95 km) mainly to the northeast of the center.
The estimated minimum central pressure is 1000 mb (29.53 inches).
HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND
RAINFALL: Nate is expected to produce the following rain accumulations through this weekend:
Southern Honduras and western Nicaragua: 6-10 inches, max 15 inches Eastern El Salvador and northern to central Honduras: 3 to 5 inches, max 8 inches Eastern Yucatan and western Cuba: 2 to 4 inches, max 8 inches Eastern Belize and the Cayman Islands: 1 to 3 inches
U.S. Central Gulf Coast states: 3 to 6 inches, max 12 inches
Heavy rainfall will occur over a wide area, including locations well away from the center along the Pacific coast of Central America.
Rainfall across all of these areas may produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.
WIND: Tropical storm conditions are expected within portions of the warning area in Honduras during the next few hours. Hurricane conditions are possible within the hurricane watch area in Mexico by Friday evening, with tropical storm conditions expected by late Friday.
Tropical storm conditions are possible within the watch areas along the U.S. Gulf coast beginning Saturday evening, with hurricane conditions possible in the hurricane watch area Saturday night.
STORM SURGE: A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 1 to 3 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast in areas of onshore winds on the Yucatan Peninsula and the adjacent islands. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves.
SURF: Swells generated by Nate will affect land areas around the northwestern Caribbean during the next day or two. These swells are likely to cause life-threatening surf and rip current conditions.
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