FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. _ Tropical Storm Earl gained force Tuesday afternoon and could approach hurricane strength Thursday morning when it reaches Belize and Mexico, the National Hurricane Center said.
Heavy rain is expected in parts of Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and Mexico, with 8 to 12 inches possible, raising the risk of "life-threatening flash floods and mud slides," the hurricane center said in its 8 p.m. ET advisory Tuesday.
The storm, which has winds of 60 miles per hour, slowed its forward motion Tuesday to 16 mph, which could allow it to gain more strength before it strikes the Central American coast. Hurricane force winds would be 74 mph or more.
The storm's latest track shows it striking Belize or the southern Yucatan peninsula of Mexico early Thursday. Tropical-storm force winds extend up to 90 miles from its core. The storm poses no threat to Florida.
