Tropical Storm Sara could be poised to do damage to the popular tourist and cruise destination of Roatan as it heads west towards Belize.
The latest forecasts suggest Sara could hit Roatan on the weekend before moving west towards Belize. Models showed the storm path heading south of Tulum in Mexico, but Mexican authorities warned it could cause “intense rains” along the Riviera Maya.
The center said Sara was forecast to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain, even up to 30 inches in isolated areas. Such heavy rain could lead to life-threatening flooding and landslides.
Sara was forecast to pass over or very near the tourist destination of Roatan off Honduras’ coast on the weekend. Several cruise lines stop in Roatan on their Western Caribbean itineraries, including Carnival, Princess, Holland America and Regent Seven Seas.
The storm was then expected to turn northwesterly toward Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula.
CBS News meteorologist Nikki Nolan said a lot of the models suggest Sara will dissipate either after it enters the Gulf of Mexico or over Mexico.
Fox35 News in Orlando said the storm “is expected to dissipate over or near Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula early next week, eliminating the tropical threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast or Florida, according to the FOX 35 Storm Team and the National Hurricane Center.”
