Three dead as Hurricane Bonnie hits Central America weather report

Storm kills one in El Salvador and two in Nicaragua as it moves from Atlantic to Pacific.

At least three people were killed when a hurricane swept through Central America before moving toward Mexico.

Tropical Storm Bonnie was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane on Sunday, killing one person in El Salvador and two others in Nicaragua in the path of destruction it caused. Developing in the Atlantic Ocean, the storm moved across a small portion of Central America to the Pacific as a tropical storm, a rare occurrence in the storm-prone area.

Bonnie experienced maximum sustained winds of 125 kilometers (80 miles) per hour “with stronger gusts” as it headed toward Mexico, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

“Bonnie’s core is expected to remain south of the coast of southern and southwestern Mexico over the next few days, but moving in parallel,” the agency said in an advisory.

In a rare voyage from the Atlantic Basin to the East Pacific, Tropical Storm #bonuses has traversed a narrow section of Central America and is turning toward hurricane strength offshore to the south #Mexico, as seen in storm-centered MIMIC microwave images. https://t.co/V0Va4edyAR pic.twitter.com/o0DyLfgYwd

— UW-Madison CIMSS (@UWCIMSS) July 3, 2022

The waves created by the hurricane created “life-threatening surf and rip current conditions,” the report said.

In El Salvador and Nicaragua, the storm downed trees and caused widespread flooding, forcing some residents to move to emergency shelters.

Emergency services in El Salvador said a 24-year-old woman was killed during the storm and rescuers were still searching for a missing man on Sunday.

“Bonnie has caused very heavy rains and thunderstorms in the coastal area, in the volcanic mountains and in the greater San Salvador area, with strong gusty winds and hail in some areas,” the environment ministry said.

San Andrés en estos momentos. Huracan Bonnie pic.twitter.com/5nmPWNrEcf

— Anthony (@iScraw) July 1, 2022

El Salvador President Nayib Bukele said all classes would be suspended on Monday.

In Nicaragua, a 40-year-old man was caught trying to cross a river and a 38-year-old man died trying to rescue passengers from a bus.

The Mexican Meteorological Service warned that the hurricane could bring torrential rain, mudslides, flooding, strong gusts of wind and sea waves up to 5 meters along the country’s southern Pacific coast.