Tropical Storm Sara has caused widespread disruption across Central America after forming in the Caribbean Sea on Thursday afternoon.
It became the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the third this month.
The unusually large number of tropical storm and hurricane formations this season can be attributed to warmer-than-average waters in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico, which provide more energy for storm development and intensification.
Sara has impacted several countries, including Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Belize, and Guatemala, bringing heavy rainfall, widespread flooding, and landslides.
The storm’s slow-moving nature has prolonged its damaging effects.
Initially, Sara had sustained winds of 45 mph, but as it moved inland, it weakened slightly, with winds dropping to 40 mph by Sunday.
The National Hurricane Center has projected that Sara will dissipate into an area of low pressure by Monday as it moves northwest toward the southern Yucatán Peninsula.
Super Typhoon Man-yi causes severe flooding in the Philippines, moving towards China with strong winds.Meanwhile, Super Typhoon Man-yi, known locally as Pepito, has caused severe damage across the Philippines’ main island of Luzon.
The typhoon, which made its second landfall on Saturday, has been responsible for heavy rainfall exceeding 130mm within 24 hours, leading to flooding and mudslides.
With maximum sustained winds exceeding 120 mph, Man-yi is the sixth typhoon of the month.
It is forecasted to track north-westward toward China in the coming days, where it may bring strong winds and significant rainfall to coastal cities, including Hong Kong and Shenzhen.
Back in the US, Louisiana has experienced heavy rainfall, causing flash flooding across central and southeastern regions of the state.
Over the next few days, rainfall is expected to continue across the Gulf Coast.
Areas such as Alabama, southern Mississippi, and north-western Florida could receive over 100mm of rainfall, as a low-pressure system causes instability and intense precipitation.
This series of storms and extreme weather events highlight the increasing severity of global weather patterns, driven in part by changing climate conditions.