Caribbean coast of Central America braces for tropical storm Nana

By 1800 GMT, Nana was about 215 miles (345 km) east of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in an advisory. Along the Belize shoreline, "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," NOAA said, warning water could surge five feet above normal tide levels.

Tropical storm Nana swept toward Belize on Wednesday, with forecasters warning that it would grow into a hurricane by nightfall and bring dangerous storm surge to parts of the Caribbean coast, but weaken after landfall. By 1800 GMT, Nana was about 215 miles (345 km) east of Belize City with maximum sustained winds of 60 miles per hour (95 km per hour), the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) said in an advisory.

Along the Belize shoreline, "preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion," NOAA said, warning water could surge five feet above normal tide levels. It also forecast that tropical storm conditions, including flash flooding, would hit parts of Belize, as well as Guatemala and Mexico's Yucatan peninsula by evening.

The eastern edges of Veracruz and Oaxaca states in Mexico could register up to 8 inches of rain. The storm is also expected to reach Honduras, where authorities told residents in the beachside Bay Islands tourist resort to expect moderate to heavy rain that could cause flooding.