Julia was forecast to pass near or over Colombia’s San Andres and Providencia islands Saturday night on its way to landfall in Nicaragua on Sunday morning.
Central America and Colombia have been placed on alert as Tropical Storm Julia churned in the southern Caribbean basin, likely to strengthen into a hurricane before hitting Nicaragua, authorities said.
On Saturday, in the city of Bluefields on Nicaragua's Caribbean coast, which is expected to lie in the path of Julia's wrath, fishermen were busy safeguarding their boats and people rushed to buy groceries and withdraw money from ATMs.
The storm's centre was about 90 kilometres from the Colombian island of Providencia and about 280 kilometres northeast of Bluefields as of 2100 GMT Saturday, the Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said.
Colombia President Gustavo Petro said in a tweet on Saturday morning that the country was on "maximum alert" and called on hotels to be ready to provide refuge to vulnerable populations.
After making landfall in Nicaragua, the hurricane is expected to gradually weaken and move north along the Pacific coasts of Honduras and El Salvador on Sunday and Monday, NHC said.
"The centre 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 warned.
Its winds of 112 kilometres an hour are expected to increase at the same time, the NHC said.
Heavy rain from the storm was expected to trigger flooding and landslides.
READ MORE: Cuba without power after Hurricane Ian destroys electrical grid
Tropical Storm #Julia Advisory 10: Hurricane Conditions Expected On the Coast of Nicaragua Overnight. Life-Threatening Flash Floods and Mudslides Possible From Heavy Rains Over Central America and Southern Mexico Through Early Next Week. https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 8, 2022
Deadly rainy season
Julia is set to strike Central America less than two weeks after deadly Hurricane Ian crashed into the southwest of the US state of Florida, in one of the deadliest US hurricanes on record.
The Category 4 storm flattened whole neighbourhoods on the Sunshine State's west coast.
More than 100 people were killed according to US media.
From May to September, storms have caused 49 confirmed deaths and six people are missing.
Roads and hundreds of homes have been damaged, Guatemalan officials say.
In El Salvador, where 19 people have died this rainy season, the worst rainfall is expected Monday and Tuesday, said Fernando Lopez, the Minister of Environmental and Natural Resources.
Officials said they had opened 61 shelters with the capacity to house more than 3,000 people.
READ MORE: Hurricane Ian: Death toll soars in Florida, storm lashes South Carolina
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