MIAMI — On Thursday, Tropical Storm Sara emerged in the Caribbean Sea, prompting concerns over potentially hazardous flash flooding and mudslides in various regions of Central America, particularly Honduras, according to meteorological experts.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center indicated that the storm is likely to linger and drift near Honduras’ coastline throughout the weekend. In addition to Honduras, significant rainfall is anticipated for Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala, and western Nicaragua.

Forecasts suggest that Sara may intensify as it moves closer to Belize and the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico by early next week.

As of Friday morning, it remains too early to predict the specific impacts the storm might have on areas of the eastern Gulf of Mexico, which include Florida, the Florida Keys, and Cuba, noted the hurricane center.