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Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Tropical Storm Sara is moving slowly and causing life-threatening flooding and mudslides for portions of Central America, the National Hurricane Center said Saturday. In NHC's 3 p.m. CST update, the late-season storm is about 25 miles west-northwest of Isla Roatan, Honduras and about 110 miles southeast of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph and was moving westward at 5 mph.
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The government of Honduras has discontinued the tropical storm warning from Punta Patuca westward to Punta Castilla.
A tropical storm warning remains in effect for the north coast of Honduras from Castilla wastward to the Honduras/Guatemala border, the Bay Islands of Honduras, Caribbean Sea coast of Guatemala, the coast of Belize and the coast of Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya southward to Chetumal.
"A faster motion toward the west-northwest and northwest expected on Sunday and Sunday night," NHC said.
On the forecast track, the center of Sara will approach Belize on Saturday night.
Sara then is expected to open up into a trough Sunday night or Monday as it crosses the southern Gulf of Mexico.
The center continued to predict rain totaling from 15 to 25 inches with isolated storm totals around 35 inches area expected over northern Honduras.
This rainfall will lead to widespread life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides, especially along and near the Sierra La Esperanza, NHC said.
Across the rest of Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, western Nicaragua, and the Mexican State of Quintana Roo, are expected to receive 5 to 10 inches of rain with localized totals around 15 inches through early next week.
Sara is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic season, which runs June 1 to Nov. 30.
