Hurricane Earl Nearing Coast Of Belize
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Hurricane Earl is nearing the coast of Belize.
At 11 p.m. Wednesday, the center of the hurricane was about 40 miles east of Belize City, Belize. Maximum sustained winds were 75 mph with some higher gusts.
It was moving to the west at 15 mph, and a westward or slightly north of westward motion with some decrease in forward speed is expected over the next 48 hours.
A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
- Puerto Costa Maya, Mexico, southward to the Belize/Guatemala border.
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- North of Puerto Costa Maya to Punta Allen, Mexico.
On the forecast track, the center of Earl will move inland over Belize within the next few hours, and move over the southern Yucatan peninsula of Mexico or northern Guatemala on Thursday.
Little change in strength is likely before landfall, and Earl will begin to weaken after it moves inland over Belize on Thursday.
Tropical storm conditions will reach Belize and Mexico within the hurricane and tropical storm warning areas in a couple of hours.
Hurricane conditions are expected in portions of the hurricane warning area in Belize and Mexico tonight.
Earl is expected to produce total rainfall accumulations of 8 to 12 inches over portions of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and the Yucatan peninsula of Mexico through Thursday night. Very heavy rain will reach the Mexican states of Tabasco and Veracruz between Thursday night and Saturday morning. Isolated maximum amounts of 18 inches are possible in Mexico and Belize. These rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mud slides.
A storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 4 to 6 feet above normal tide levels along the immediate coast of Belize and the eastern Yucatan peninsula near and to the north of where the center makes landfall. Near the coast, the surge will be accompanied by large and damaging waves.
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