Central America hit by multiple storms

Heavy rain has hit Central America with Honduras and Nicaragua being particularly badly affected.

On Sunday, Honduras received some very heavy rain from Tropical Depression Nine. This system originally formed over the southern Gulf of Mexico, passing over Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before drifting across Honduras.

Some parts of the country saw two week’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.

The flooding here comes just a few days after the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) warned that up to 500,000 people were at risk from an ongoing drought. This has resulted in failed crops, higher food prices and a lack of work for agricultural labourers.

According to the IFRC, almost one quarter of the country’s 8.5 million people suffer from malnutrition, with 3.6 million people living in conditions of extreme poverty.

On Monday, another tropical storm, Hanna, hit northeastern Nicaragua and eastern Honduras. The US National Hurricane Center predicted accumulations of up to 380mm which could result in flash flooding and mudslides.

To complicate the meteorological situation even further, there is a strong possibility of another tropical cyclone forming in the region. This one is expected to develop on the Pacific side of the isthmus, south of the Gulf of Tehuantepec. It is too early in this cyclone’s development to say whether it will have any significant impact over land.