Hurricane Warnings Issued Ahead of Tropical Storm Nana
Overview:
Numerous hurricane warnings and tropical storm warnings have been issued ahead of Tropical Storm Nana, the fourteenth named storm of the what has been relentless 2020 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Currently, hurricane warnings are in effect for the coast of Belize from Belize City southward to the Belize-Guatemala border, with tropical storm warnings for Yucatan Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal, The coast of Belize north of Belize city to the Belize-Mexico border and the Caribbean Sea coast of Guatemala. Nana, currently with winds of 60mph and a pressure of 998mb was located at 17.1N and 84.6W, may become the first hurricane to strike Belize since Hurricane Earl of 2016. Although Nana had been forecasted to become a hurricane yesterday, the NHC has backed off this intensity, however there is still a chance it may be a hurricane if the storm takes advantage of the favorable conditions in the area. Nana became the earliest named “N” storm on record, carrying on the 2020 early storm record trend. Tropical Storm Omar formed hours after Nana in the open Atlantic, but is unlikely to provide any impacts anywhere.
Future Forecast
Nana will continue to move westerly, likely making landfall in Belize as a tropical storm Thursday morning, although a hurricane landfall cannot be ruled out. Storm surge of 3 to 5 feet can be expected throughout the coast of Belize, which could prove to be a danger to life and property. The highest rainfall from Nana is expected in the Mexican states of Veracruz and Oaxaca, where totals of 6 to 8 inches are expected, with isolated rain up to a foot possible. Across Belize, Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas and Tobasco, rainfall amounts of 3 to 6 inches are possible. The combination of heavy rain may also lead to mudslides which could cause damage to property across the Upper Central American region. Sustained winds of 60mph are possible along with hurricane force gusts across the area under the hurricane warnings and tropical storm warnings.
Future updates on Tropical Storm Laura and future systems in the Atlantic basin can be found on the Force Thirteen Youtube channel, as well as our various social mediums on Twitter and Facebook.
