Sara was forecast to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain, with up to 30 inches in isolated areas in northern Honduras. In a 7 a.m. Eastern update, the hurricane center said "heavy rain, life-threatening flash flooding and mudslides" were possible through the weekend in Central America.

Sign up for the Morning Brief email newsletter to get weekday updates from The Weather Channel and our meteorologists.T​he Atlantic hurricane season's 18th named storm, Sara, is likely to form in the western Caribbean Sea and might head toward the Gulf of Mexico next week,

Forecasters tell residents of eastern Gulf Coast and Florida to monitor the forecast closely for potential impacts next week.