BELMOPAN, Belize (AP) – Hurricane Earl bore down on the coast of the Caribbean nation of Belize with the danger of high surf and winds, while also threatening neighboring Guatemala and southern Mexico with torrential rains.
Hotels along Belize’s coast and the low-lying islands offshore had already pulled in awnings and beach chairs as the rains from the category-1 storm began whipping the coast Wednesday evening.
Authorities in the Mexican coastal state of Quintana Roo, to the north of the hurricane’s predicted path, reported some evacuations and prepared shelters in case of flooding. Some people evacuated low-lying coastal areas in nearby Guatemala.
By late Wednesday, Earl was a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph), the U.S. National Hurricane Center said. It was centered about 40 miles (65 kilometers) east of Belize City and moving west at 15 mph (24 kph).
A hurricane warning was in place for Belize and parts of Mexico, though the storm was expected to begin weakening when it moved ashore. The hurricane center said heavy rains would be a danger in southern Mexico through Saturday as Earl crosses the Yucatan Peninsula and the states of Tabasco and Veracruz.