Tropical Storm Sara makes landfall in Honduras, brings heavy rain to Central America

SAN PEDRO SULA, Honduras — Tropical Storm Sara made landfall in northern Honduras late Thursday and threatened to dump torrential rains across parts of Central America and southern Mexico.

Sara hit land about 165 kilometers west-northwest of the Cabo Gracias a Dios on the Honduras-Nicaragua border, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. That is near Brus Laguna, a village of about 13,000 inhabitants. There are few other population centers nearby.

At 3 a.m.(0900 GMT) the center said the storm was located about 100 kilometers east, southeast of Belize City in Honduras with a maximum sustained wind speed of 75 kph.

Mexican authorities warned it could cause "intense rains" over the resort-studded Yucatan Peninsula.

Sara had winds of about 75 kph and was moving west at about 17 kph.

It was expected to remain roughly on that path before heading out to sea again and threatening the coast of Belize.

The center said that along the way Sara was forecast to drop 25 to 50 centimeters of rain, even up to 75 centimeters in isolated areas. Such heavy rain could lead to life-threatening flooding and landslides.

Sara was forecast to pass over or very near the tourist destination of Roatan off Honduras' coast on Sunday. The storm was then expected to turn northwesterly toward Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula.