Tropical Storm Nadine forms in the Caribbean, makes landfall in Belize
Tropical Storm Nadine formed early Saturday in the western Caribbean before bringing heavy rains to portions of the Yucatan Peninsula. It made landfall near Belize City in Belize at around 12 p.m. Eastern.
As of Saturday evening, Nadine was centered 80 miles west of Belize City and 105 miles southwest of Chetumal, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 45 miles per hour, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. It was moving west at 13 mph.
Parts of Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula were seeing tropical storm conditions Saturday. Nadine was forecast to move across northern Guatemala and southern Mexico through early Sunday, the hurricane center said.
Rainfall amounts ranging from 4 to 12 inches were possible in northern Belize, northern Guatemala and the southern Mexican states from Quintana Roo west to Veracruz and Oaxaca, the hurricane center said.
Locally gusty winds were expected on Saturday for Quintana Roo, much of Belize and far northeast Guatemala, which could lead to downed trees and power outages.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Oscar — the 15th named storm of the hurricane season — formed as a tropical storm just east of the Turks and Caicos Islands, bringing warnings for nearby islands including southeast Bahamas and the northern provinces of Cuba. It quickly became a hurricane.
Oscar — which the hurricane center initially called a "tiny" storm before noting that it was getting "a little stronger" — was moving west at 10 mph and carrying maximum sustained winds of 85 mph as of Saturday evening.
Turks and Caicos Islands were advised to brace for hurricane conditions beginning Saturday night.
"A little more strengthening is possible tonight, but gradual weakening is expected to begin by Sunday night and Monday," the hurricane center said.
AccuWeather hurricane experts believe that there is no risk of any landfalling tropical systems in the United States or direct impacts from a tropical system in general in the United States through at least the rest of October.
In Florida, Gulf Coast communities are struggling in the wake of back-to-back hurricanes, as Hurricane Helene rammed into the region less than two weeks before Hurricane Milton arrived.
The Atlantic hurricane season officially began on June 1 and finishes Nov. 30, with most activity occurring between mid-August and mid-October. Hurricane activity tends to peak in mid-September, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
