Tropical Storm Cristina formed off the coast of Nicaragua on Monday and was drifting north of its birthplace late in the day, setting up several days of heavy rain across Central America. The storm, which strengthened from Tropical Depression Three-E, had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and was moving northeast at just 3 mph.
That slow pace is why Guatemala - El Salvador and neighboring countries are searching for answers today. The National Hurricane Center said Cristina was named Monday afternoon about 90 miles west-southwest of Managua, Nicaragua, and was expected to meander along the Central American coast through the week before gradually turning northwestward.
By Tuesday, Cristina was about 100 miles west-northwest of Managua, and forecasters said it could bring heavy rain and life-threatening flash flooding to Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala through midweek. Nicaragua and El Salvador issued Tropical Storm Warnings as widespread rainfall totals of 4 to 8 inches were expected, with localized amounts up to 12 inches possible.
The storm’s path carries a contradiction that matters to anyone watching the coast: Cristina was expected to gradually weaken by midweek even as it threatened the kind of rainfall that can overwhelm roads, rivers and hillsides. A slower, weaker tropical system can still be the one that does the most damage when it parks over land or crawls along the shore.
What happens next is a long, wet stretch, not a quick hit. Cristina was expected to keep drifting along the region through the week before turning northwestward, leaving officials in five countries to prepare for flooding while the first tropical threat of the year in the eastern Pacific arrives right on schedule.
