Tropical Storm Lisa plows through Caribbean as Tropical Storm Martin forms in Atlantic – Orlando Sentinel

Tropical Storm Lisa continued to push toward Central America in the Caribbean while Tropical Storm Martin formed in the Atlantic Ocean, both expected to grow into hurricanes, according to the National Hurricane Center

As of 8 a.m., Tropical Storm Lisa was located about 220 miles south of Grand Cayman and 480 miles east of Belize City, Belize with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph heading west at 14 mph.

“Strengthening is expected, and Lisa is forecast to become a hurricane by early Wednesday over the northwestern Caribbean Sea,” said NHC senior hurricane specialist Eric Blake.

Hurricane conditions are expected in the Bay Islands of Honduras beginning early Wednesday and along the coast of Belize by Wednesday afternoon.

Tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 105 miles.

A hurricane watch is in effect for the Bay Islands and parts of the Belize coast with a tropical storm warning for the entire coast of Honduras.

The system is expected to drop 3 to 5 inches with some areas with as much as 8 inches across parts of Belize and the Bay Islands, and 2 to 4 inches with some areas as much as 6 inches in portions of Jamaica, the eastern Yucatan Peninsula, Northern Honduras, and Guatemala that could lead to flash flooding.

Meanwhile in the Atlantic Ocean, what had been nontropical area of low pressure with only a 10% chance to form tightened up overnight and became Tropical Storm Martin by late Tuesday morning.

In the northern mid-Atlantic, the low and associated thunderstorm activity had been forming more tropical characteristics in the last day.

As of 11 a.m., Martin was located about 550 miles east-northeast of Bermuda with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph moving east at 12 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend out up to 205 miles, but it’s no threat to land.

“Some strengthening is forecast during the next 48 hours, and Martin is expected to become a hurricane by Wednesday night before transitioning to a powerful extratropical system on Thursday,” forecasters said.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs through Nov. 30. The season’s 14 named systems through Martin have now met the NOAA forecast for 2022.

The NOAA has predicted to be an above average season with 14 to 21 named tropical storms. This follows 2020′s record 30 named systems and 2021′s 21 named storms.