Tracking the Tropics: Nana weakens into tropical storm after making landfall as hurricane

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) –Nana is now a tropical storm after making landfall in Belize overnight as a Category 1 hurricane.

The storm became the earliest “N” named storm on record when it formed in the Caribbean on Tuesday, according to Dr. Philip Klotzbach with Colorado State University. It’s the season’s fifth hurricane and 14th tropical storm.

The National Hurricane Center is also monitoring Tropical Depression Omar, the fifteenth named storm of the season. Omar weakened from a tropical storm in the Atlantic and is expected to stay away from land.

Tropical Storm Nana

At 4 a.m. Thursday, Nana had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph and was about 70 miles southwest of Belize City. The storm was moving west-southwest at 15 mph.

Nana is forecast to move inland over Guatemala and southeastern Mexico on today and tonight.

A Hurricane Warning is in effect for:

• The coast of Belize from Belize City southward to the
  Belize-Guatemala border.

A Hurricane Watch is in effect for:

• The coast of Belize north of Belize city to the Belize-Mexico
  border

A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:

• Yucatan Mexico from Puerto Costa Maya to Chetumal
• The coast of Belize north of Belize city to the Belize-Mexico
  border
• Caribbean Sea coast of Guatemala
• Isla Roatan and the Bay Islands of Honduras

A Tropical Storm Watch is in effect for:

• Northern coast of Honduras from Punta Patuca westward to the
  Guatemala border

Tropical Depression Omar

At 5 a.m. Thursday, Omar had maximum sustained winds of 35 mph and was about 310 miles north-northeast of Bermuda. It was moving east at 14 mph.

The depression is forecast turn toward the east-northeast and become a remnant low today or tonight and dissipate Saturday.

There are no coastal watches or warnings in effect.

Other areas to watch

The NHC is also keeping an eye on two disturbances near Africa.

The first is an area of low pressure, which is producing a small area of showers and thunderstorms between the Windward Islands and West Africa. The NHC is giving it a 20% chance of formation in the next 48 hours and a 30% chance of development over the next five days.

“This system is expected to interact with a tropical wave approaching from the east over the weekend, and it is unclear if the interaction will enhance or inhibit development of this system,” the National Hurricane Center said.

Forecasters are also expecting a tropical wave located off the coast of Africa soon to merge with a disturbance near the Cabo Verde Islands.

“Development of this system is likely to be slow during the next couple of days while it moves west-northwestward at about 15 mph, and a tropical depression is more likely to form early next week over the central tropical Atlantic, where environmental conditions are forecast to be more favorable for development,” the NHC said.

The wave has a 20% chance of formation in the next 48 hours and a 70% percent chance of formation over the next five days.

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