Just hours after Tropical Storm Nadine was named by the National Hurricane Center on Saturday, a new storm system is expected to swirl over land and drench Belize and southern Mexico with several inches of rain.
Tropical storm warnings extend from Belize City in Belize to the popular Mexican resort towns of Cancun and Cozumel.
Nadine, previously listed as a Potential Tropical Cyclone 15 by the NHC, was located just off the coast of Belize early Saturday morning with maximum sustained wind speeds of 40 mph.
What is the forecast for Tropical Storm Nadine?
Nadine is expected to move into inland Central America around midday Saturday, bringing strong winds and heavy rain.
Wind gusts reached 51 mph in Cancun as Nadine approached Saturday morning. However, while wind is not a major factor, destructive flooding can occur in Nadine.
Widespread 5 to 8 inches of rain is expected to fall from Belize, northern Guatemala and southern Mexico's Quintana Roo state westward to Veracruz state into the early part of next week.
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“Up to a foot of rain could fall in some places. It's not out of the question, especially when you talk about some mountains and terrain rifts in southern Mexico,” Minar said. “However, we expect localized flooding and possible landslides and mudslides.”
The storm is expected to gradually weaken as it moves across northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico between Saturday afternoon and Saturday night.
“So this is not a long-lasting tropical storm,” said FOX Weather meteorologist Jane Minnaar. “In fact, a lot of that rain will move into parts of Central America, so it's likely to stop once we get into (Saturday night). This is going to continue to move across southern Mexico and Central America as this energy, and possibly the eastern Pacific Ocean. The models all agree that we're going to get somewhere.”
This turmoil is not a threat to the United States. In fact, FOX weather bureau hurricane expert Brian Norcross said severe atmospheric conditions in Florida and the northern Gulf of Mexico mean a potential tropical system won't threaten the U.S. for the time being.
