Tropical Storm Nadine is forming in the Caribbean near Belize hours before expected landfall

Tropical Storm Nadine will dump several inches of rain on Belize and southern Mexico on Saturday as the newly formed storm swirls ashore just hours after being named by the National Hurricane Center.

Tropical storm warnings extend from Belize City, Belize to the popular Mexican resorts of Cancun and Cozumel.

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Nadine, previously classified by the NHC as Potential Tropical Cyclone Fifteen, was just off the coast of Belize early Saturday morning with peak sustained winds of 40 mph.

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What is the forecast for Tropical Storm Nadine?

Nadine is expected to move inland across Central America around midday Saturday with gusty winds and heavy rain. As Nadine approached Saturday morning, a wind gust reached 51 miles per hour in Cancun. But while winds will not be a significant factor, there is the potential for destructive flooding in Nadine.

Rain forecast from Tropical Storm Nadine

Widespread rainfall of 5 to 8 inches is expected through early next week in Belize, northern Guatemala and southern Mexican states from Quintana Roo west to Veracruz.

“In some places you could see up to 30 cm of rain – not out of the question, especially when you talk about the mountains and the orographic uplift in parts of southern Mexico,” Minar said. “But it is expected that there will be some localized flooding and perhaps even some mudslides and landslides.”

The storm will gradually weaken as it moves across northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico from Saturday afternoon into Saturday night.

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“So this is not a long-lived tropical storm,” said FOX weather meteorologist Jane Minar. “In fact, it will likely taper off as we get into (Saturday night) as it shifts much of the rain over parts of Central America. The models all agree that this will continue to impact southern Mexico and Central America as this piece of energy that may end up somewhere in the Eastern Pacific.”

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The disturbance does not pose a threat to the U.S. Bryan Norcross, FOX hurricane weather specialist, said hostile atmospheric conditions over Florida and the northern Gulf of Mexico should prevent potential tropical systems from threatening the U.S. for the foreseeable future.