Early Start In The Eastern Pacific
Tropical Storm Agatha formed quickly off the Pacific coast of Guatemala and came ashore on Saturday with 45 mph winds. As with most tropical storms, it was the rain not the wind, as the BBC reports:
A powerful tropical storm in Central America has claimed at least 73 lives in floods and mudslides, officials say.
The worst-hit country was Guatemala, where officials say at least 63 people died. Nine were killed in El Salvador and at least one in Honduras.
Rainfalls greater that 36 inches have been reported in the mountains and many of the roads to remote communities are washed out, so the the death toll is expected to rise when contact is re-established.
Guatemala was already dealing with an eruption of the Pacaya volcano in southern Guatemala which has closed the nation’s largest airport. The ash from the volcano is now a soggy mess.
As expected Agatha is dissipating due to interaction with the mountains.
