Tropical Depression Nineteen intensified into Tropical Storm Sara in the western Caribbean Sea with the Noon CST update from the National Hurricane Center on Thursday. The storm had maximum sustained winds near 40 mph at that time and was moving west at 12 mph.

As Sara meanders over the western Caribbean Sea, the storm is expected to maintain tropical storm status as it hugs the Honduras coast late this week and over the weekend.  The storm will move very slowly during this timeframe. Rainfall amounts of 10-20" with isolated storm totals around 30" are possible over northern Honduras. This rainfall will lead to widespread areas of life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides, especially along and near the Sierra La Esperanza.

The latest tropical guidance shows potential for this system to enter the southeastern Gulf of Mexico sometime next week. It is too soon to determine if there will be a United States impact, but if there is, Florida would be the likely target. Fronts and increasing wind shear near the central Gulf Coast should shield the Capital Area.

This is a developing story. For future updates on this system, scroll down to The Tropics section in the latest Storm Station Weather Blog found HERE.

The Storm Station is here for you, on every platform. Your weather updates can be found on News 2, wbrz.com, and the WBRZ WX App on your Apple or Android device. Follow WBRZ Weather on Facebook and X for even more weather updates while you are on the go.