WASHINGTON: Tropical Storm Earl formed Tuesday in the Caribbean, prompting at least three countries to issue warnings over potentially heavy rains and a big storm surge, the National Hurricane Center said.
The storm was about 220 miles (350 kilometers) southeast of Grand Cayman island as of 1600 GMT and moving west at 22 miles per hour.
If it stays on that path it will move close to the northern coast of Honduras Tuesday night, then approach Belize and the east coast of the Yucatan peninsula, the US center said.
Mexico, Belize and Honduras have issued storm warnings.
Earl is the fifth named storm of the 2016 hurricane season, which began June 1 and runs through November 30.
Honduras' state emergency agency declared a 48-hour "yellow alert" along its Caribbean costal area over the storm, warning of strong rain.
Belize's National Emergency Management Organization warned of rough seas, wind gusts over 50 miles per hour and heavy rain.
It said extreme flooding, uprooted trees, power cuts and the destruction of "poorly constructed and older timber buildings" were likely.
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