Tropical Storm Beta, the record 23rd storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, threatened Central America Thursday with heavy rains and winds as it appeared set to grow to hurricane force within 24 hours, forecasters said.
At 1800 GMT Beta was located in the southwest Caribbean Sea about 260 kilometers (160 miles) off the coast of Nicaragua, blowing winds of 95 kilometers (60 miles) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
A hurricane watch was in effect for Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast, from its border with Costa Rica in the south to its border with Honduras to the north. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 36 hours.
The storm was expected to intensify and move slowly northward through Friday, according to the center.
Heavy rains of up to 50 centimeters (20 inches) could be expected from Panama to Honduras, it said.
The Nicaraguan government issued an alert Thursday for coastal regions, warning that Beta could hit the country with hurricane-force winds by Sunday.
More than 2,000 people are believed to have died in Guatemala from massive mudslides and flooding brought on by Hurricane Stan, which lashed the region with heavy rains for 10 days in early October.
