Julia turns into hurricane, forecast shows heavy rain, flash-flood risk in Central America

Hurricane Julia was passing by the Colombian island of San Andres Saturday night as it dashed across the Caribbean Sea toward Nicaragua, where it was expected to make landfall this weekend.

The fifth hurricane of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season formed around 7 p.m. Saturday near the Colombian islands of San Andres and Providencia. Forecasters expect it will bring heavy rain to Central America and southern Mexico over the next few days, enough for life-threatening flash floods and mudslides to be possible through early next week.

The Category 1 hurricane, which is not a threat to Florida, was about 20 miles west-southwest of the Colombian island of San Andres and about 125 miles east-northeast of Bluefields, Nicaragua, as of the National Hurricane Center’s advisory at 8 p.m. Saturday.

It had maximum sustained winds near 75 mph with higher gusts, and could see some additional strengthening before making landfall early Sunday somewhere along the coast of Nicaragua, which was under a hurricane warning, according to the hurricane center. The forecast showed Julia, which was moving west near 17 mph, as a Cat 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph when it’s just offshore of Nicaragua early Sunday.

“Weakening is expected once Julia moves inland, but it is forecast to still be a tropical storm when it moves off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua late Sunday,” the hurricane center said.

Forecasters expect Julia, or its remnants, will then move west, parallel to the coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala Sunday night and Monday.

When will Central America feel Hurricane Julia?

Julia’s hurricane-force winds were being felt Saturday night along the Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina. Forecasters expected parts of Nicaragua would start to feel tropical storm conditions Saturday night, with hurricane conditions expected overnight and into Sunday. Evacuations began Saturday across parts of Nicaragua.

“Hurricane-force winds and a dangerous storm surge are expected in areas where the core of the system crosses the islands this evening and moves onshore in Nicaragua tonight,” according to the hurricane center’s 8 p.m. advisory.

Other parts of Central America, such as Honduras and El Salvador, may start to feel tropical storm conditions Sunday.

Hurricane Julia watches/warnings

▪ Hurricane warning in effect for Colombian islands of San Andres, Providencia and Santa Catalina, and also for Nicaragua from Bluefields to Puerto Cabezas.

▪ A hurricane watch is in effect for Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border.

▪ A tropical storm warning is in effect for Nicaragua south of Bluefields to the Nicaragua/Costa Rica border. Also, Nicaragua north of Puerto Cabezas to the Honduras/Nicaragua border. A warning is also in effect for the entire coast of El Salvador.

▪ A tropical storm watch is in effect for Honduras from the Nicaragua/Honduras border to Punta Patuca.