Tropical Storm Julia forms near Colombia, forecast to be a hurricane soon

MIAMI — Tropical Storm Julia formed off the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia Friday morning and is forecast to turn into a hurricane this weekend while it moves across the Caribbean Sea toward Nicaragua.

The National Hurricane Center announced the formation of Julia in its advisory at 11 a.m. Friday. Julia is the 10th named storm of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season and is not a threat to Florida.

“The risk of flash flooding continues today over portions of the Guajira Peninsula. The potential for life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides is expected to spread to portions of Central America this weekend,” the hurricane center said.

The system is about 110 miles west of the northern tip of the Guajira Peninsula of Colombia and about 560 miles east of Providencia, according to the hurricane center’s advisory. It has maximum sustained winds near 40 mph with higher gusts.

Forecasters expect Julia will strengthen as it quickly moves west across the southwest Caribbean Sea, enough to become a “hurricane by Saturday evening before it reaches San Andres and Providencia Islands, and the coast of Nicaragua,” the hurricane center said. The forecast shows it being a Cat 1 hurricane.

“Hurricane-force winds and a dangerous storm surge are expected in areas where the core of the system crosses the islands and moevs onshore,” the hurricane center said.

After making landfall in Nicaragua, the system is expected to weaken back into a tropical storm and then a depression as it moves over Central America.