Julia, once a hurricane that hit Nicaragua on Sunday, was downgraded on Monday, October 10th, to a tropical depression that was moving along the coast of El Salvador and was expected to dissipate by the evening.
All regional watches and warnings were discontinued late Monday morning though forecasters warned of life-threatening flash floods and mudslides from the storm’s remnants. In addition to El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala were expected to be affected by winds and rain.
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 was 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.
7 PM EDT Saturday October 8 Update: Data from NOAA and Air Force Reserve reconnaissance aircraft indicate that #Julia has become a hurricane as it passes near San Andres and Providencia Islands. pic.twitter.com/Asvnaw0W4Y
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 8, 2022
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.
Forecast information on Tropical Storm #Julia is now being issued as eastern Pacific products since Julia is about to emerge off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. Follow @NHC_Pacific to receive the latest information on #Julia. It is also on the web at https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB https://t.co/QwHemAlMU3
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 9, 2022
Source: NHC_Atlantic
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