Julia makes landfall in Nicaragua as a Category 1 storm, bringing with it “life-threatening” flooding

Hurricane Julia hit Nicaragua’s central Caribbean coast on Sunday, sending torrential downpours across Central America before reemerging over the Pacific.

Julia struck as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 85 miles per hour, although its winds had dropped to tropical storm force 80 miles per hour by the evening when it crossed Nicaragua.

As of 5 p.m. ET, the US National Hurricane Center said Julia was centered about 45 miles west-northwest of Managua, the capital, and was moving west at 16 miles per hour.

It said life-threatening flash floods and mudslides are possible in Central America and southern Mexico through Tuesday, with the storm expected to bring up to 15 inches of rain in remote areas.

Colombia’s Civil Protection Agency reported on Sunday that Julia blew up the roofs of several houses and knocked down trees as she sped past San Andres Island, east of Nicaragua. There were no immediate reports of deaths

In Nicaragua, Vice President Rosario Murillo told TN8 television that there had been no reports of deaths but that power and communications were disrupted in some areas. She said 9,500 people had been evacuated to temporary shelters.

Local news media showed images of downed trees and local flooding.

Heavy rains and evacuations were also reported from Panama, Honduras and Costa Rica, where some highways were closed due to the downpours.

Guillermo González, director of Nicaragua’s civil protection system, told official media that high-risk people had been evacuated from the coastal areas by Saturday noon. The army said it was delivering humanitarian supplies to Bluefields and Laguna de Perlas for distribution to 118 emergency shelters.

The storm was predicted to gather over the Pacific and skirt the coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala, a region already saturated with weeks of heavy rains.

In Guatemala, storms have already caused at least 49 confirmed deaths and six people have been missing since early May. According to Guatemalan officials, roads and hundreds of homes were damaged.

In El Salvador, where 19 people have died this rainy season, the worst rains were expected on Monday and Tuesday, said Fernando López, the environment and natural resources minister. Officials said they opened 61 shelters with a capacity of more than 3,000 people.