Hurricane Julia forming in the Caribbean Sea, latest landfall projection

Hurricane Julia formed in the southwestern Caribbean Sea on Saturday night, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Julia was created just 10 days after Hurricane Ian devastated southwest Florida, killing more than 100 people so far.

Julia is expected to land on the east coast of Nicaragua in Central America via Saturday. The storm is expected to weaken into a tropical storm on Sunday as it passes through Nicaragua before entering the Pacific through El Salvador and Honduras.

Winds from Julia reached 75 miles per hour Saturday, making it a Category 1 hurricane. The Hurricane Center warns that Julia could bring life-threatening flash floods and mudslides to Central America and southern Mexico from heavy rains and stronger-than-normal winds. Gale force winds and a storm surge are expected near the Augenwand as it makes landfall Saturday night.

Tropical storm warnings are already in place for the Pacific coasts of Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras. The storm is expected to become a tropical depression by Monday afternoon. Julia’s path beyond Monday as she enters the Pacific has not yet been released by NHC.

Julia is on the heels of deadly Hurricane Ian that devastated southwest Florida on September 28th. Ian hit the region from Naples to Sarasota with a severe Category 4 storm. Winds of 155 miles per hour when it made landfall. A Category 5 storm occurs when winds reach 157 miles per hour.

10 days later, thousands of Lee County residents are still without power. Linemen from 33 different states have been working around the clock to help restore power to the subtropical portion of the state. Fixed some of the bridges to the barrier islands. Thousands of houses in the region were completely destroyed.

Florida has reported 92 deaths, including nearly 60 in hard-hit Lee County, where Fort Myers, Cape Coral, Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island are located. Deaths were also reported from North Carolina, Virginia and Cuba. Cape Coral picked up wind speeds of 140 mph, which was the most of any landlocked community.

Ian crossed Florida northeast, wreaking havoc in Orlando and as far away as Jacksonville. Ian was downgraded to a tropical storm but regained Category 1 strength before making landfall again in South Carolina.

Julia has followed a similar path as Ian. Both storms started in the Atlantic, about 10-12 degrees north of the equator. Ian turned north as soon as it entered the Caribbean, but Julia stayed on a westward path.

The hurricane season, which begins on May 1st each year, officially ends on November 30th. According to the hurricane center, there are no other tropical systems in the Atlantic or Pacific basins at this time.