Tropical
Storm Earl threatens to hit Belize Wednesday night orThursday morning
with howling winds, heavy surf and torrential rainfall.
The
storm was likely to be upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane (sustained winds
above 74 mph) before making landfall, according to the National Hurricane
Center (NHC).
Portions
of southern Mexico and Honduras are also at risk; all three countries have
posted storm warnings.
Earlier
in the week, Earl grazed the Cayman Islands and Jamaica with heavy rains. On
July 31, Earl was a weaker tropical wave but knocked down power lines that
started a fire, killing six passengers on a bus in the Dominican Republic.
If upgraded, Earl
would be the second hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season. The first
was Alex, an unusual January hurricane.
Peak
hurricane activity in the Atlantic region usually occurs in August and
September, due to warm sea surface temperatures.
In
May, the NHC forecasted more hurricane activity this year compared with the last
few years.