Tropical Storm Sara dumped heavy rains with the potential to cause disastrous flooding Thursday as it churned inland along the northeastern coast of Honduras.Sara will slowly move near the northern coast of Honduras over the next couple of days and bring isolated areas up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain,

Tropical Storm Sara formed this afternoon and threatens to bring "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides" to Honduras throughout the weekend, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. A turn toward Florida is still possible, forecasters said.

Significant flooding and mudslides are expected across portions of Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, eastern Guatemala and western Nicaragua through the weekend with rainfall totals up to 12 to 16 inches near the coast, and isolated totals up to 20 to 30 inches.