Tropical Storm Earl will hit the Yucatan Thursday morning. It has sustained winds of 45 mph and is headed toward the tourist destination of Belize.
Louisiana is not in the path of this storm. The storm should weaken when it makes landfall and is projected to continue across Mexico and into the Gulf of Mexico.
NHC Advisory:
BULLETIN
TROPICAL STORM EARL INTERMEDIATE ADVISORY NUMBER 1A NWS NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL AL052016 200 PM EDT TUE AUG 02 2016 ...EARL A LITTLE STRONGER... LOCATION...16.3N 80.8W ABOUT 210 MI...340 KM S OF GRAND CAYMAN MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS...50 MPH...85 KM/H PRESENT MOVEMENT...W OR 270 DEGREES AT 22 MPH...35 KM/H MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE...1002 MB...29.59 INCHES A TROPICAL STORM WARNING IS IN EFFECT FOR... * PUNTA ALLEN, MEXICO, SOUTHWARD TO THE BELIZE/GUATEMALA BORDER * CABO GRACIAS A DIOS WESTWARD TO THE HONDURAS/GUATEMALA BORDER INCLUDING THE BAY ISLANDS A HURRICANE WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * EAST COAST OF THE YUCATAN PENINSULA FROM PUNTA ALLEN, MEXICO, SOUTHWARD TO THE BELIZE/GUATEMALA BORDER A TROPICAL STORM WATCH IS IN EFFECT FOR... * THE CAYMAN ISLANDS A TROPICAL STORM WARNING MEANS THAT TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED SOMEWHERE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA WITHIN 36 HOURS. A HURRICANE WATCH MEANS THAT HURRICANE CONDITIONS ARE POSSIBLE WITHIN THE WATCH AREA. A WATCH IS TYPICALLY ISSUED 48 HOURS BEFORE THE ANTICIPATED FIRST OCCURRENCE OF TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS, CONDITIONS THAT MAKE OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS. FOR STORM INFORMATION SPECIFIC TO YOUR AREA, PLEASE MONITOR PRODUCTS ISSUED BY YOUR NATIONAL METEOROLOGICAL SERVICE. DISCUSSION AND 48-HOUR OUTLOOK ------------------------------ AT 200 PM EDT (1800 UTC), THE CENTER OF TROPICAL STORM EARL WAS LOCATED NEAR LATITUDE 16.3 NORTH, LONGITUDE 80.8 WEST. EARL IS MOVING TOWARD THE WEST NEAR 22 MPH (35 KM/H), AND THIS MOTION WITH A DECREASE IN FORWARD SPEED IS EXPECTED DURING THE NEXT COUPLE OF DAYS. ON THIS TRACK, THE CENTER OF EARL WILL BE MOVING VERY CLOSE TO THE NORTH COAST OF HONDURAS LATE TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY AND APPROACH BELIZE AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA LATE WEDNESDAY. MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS HAVE INCREASED TO NEAR 50 MPH (85 KM/H) WITH HIGHER GUSTS. SOME ADDITIONAL STRENGTHENING IS FORECAST BEFORE EARL REACHES THE YUCATAN PENINSULA. TROPICAL-STORM-FORCE WINDS EXTEND OUTWARD UP TO 80 MILES (130 KM) FROM THE CENTER. THE MINIMUM CENTRAL PRESSURE ESTIMATED FROM AN AIR FORCE PLANE WAS 1002 MB (29.59 INCHES). HAZARDS AFFECTING LAND ---------------------- WIND: TROPICAL STORM CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO FIRST REACH THE COAST OF HONDURAS BY LATE TONIGHT, MAKING OUTSIDE PREPARATIONS DIFFICULT OR DANGEROUS, AND WILL REACH MEXICO AND BELIZE WITHIN THE WARNING AREA BY WEDNESDAY NIGHT. HURRICANE CONDITIONS COULD BEGIN IN MEXICO AND BELIZE WITHIN THE HURRICANE WATCH AREA WEDNESDAY NIGHT. RAINFALL: EARL IS EXPECTED TO PRODUCE AN ADDITIONAL 2 TO 4 INCHES OF RAINFALL OVER JAMAICA. TOTAL RAIN ACCUMULATIONS OF 8 TO 12 INCHES ARE EXPECTED OVER PORTIONS OF BELIZE, HONDURAS, GUATEMALA, AND THE YUCATAN PENINSULA OF MEXICO, WITH POSSIBLE ISOLATED MAXIMUM AMOUNTS OF 16 INCHES IN MEXICO AND BELIZE. THESE RAINS COULD RESULT IN LIFE-THREATENING FLASH FLOODS AND MUD SLIDES. STORM SURGE: A STORM SURGE WILL RAISE WATER LEVELS BY AS MUCH AS 2 TO 4 FEET ABOVE NORMAL TIDE LEVELS ALONG THE IMMEDIATE COAST OF BELIZE AND THE EASTERN YUCATAN PENINSULA TO THE NORTH OF WHERE THE CENTER MAKES LANDFALL. NEAR THE COAST, THE SURGE WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY LARGE AND DAMAGING WAVES. NEXT ADVISORY ------------- NEXT COMPLETE ADVISORY AT 500 PM EDT. $$ FORECASTER AVILA/BROWN
