Tropical Storm Julia expected to strengthen into Hurricane as it is closes in on Central America
Tropical storm Julia is expected to strengthen into a hurricane before hitting Nicaragua by Saturday afternoon. An alert has been sounded in Central America and Colombia. As per the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center, by 2100 GMT on Saturday, the storm was about 90 kilometres from the Colombian island of Providencia and around 280 kilometres northeast of Bluefields.
“The center of Julia is expected to reach the coast of Nicaragua overnight, move across Nicaragua on Sunday, and then move near or along the Pacific coasts of Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala through Monday,” the NHC said as quoted by news agency AFP.
By Saturday evening, Julia is expected to come close or cross the San Andres and Providencia islands. The Colombian government has issued a hurricane warning for the islands of Providencia, San Andres and Santa Catalina.
Landslides and floods are expected in the area due to the hurricane. An increase in the intensity of the storm could raise water levels four to six feet above normal tide along the coast of Nicaragua, reported The New York Times.
According to reports, Hurricane Julia is likely to strike Central Americain in less than two weeks after Hurricane Ian wreaked havoc in the southwest of the US state of Florida. Around 100 people were reportedly killed in Florida due to a Category 4 storm. A power outage was reported in several areas of Florida’s southwest coast due to the storm. As of Tuesday, around 400,000 homes and businesses remained without power in Florida.
