Tropical Storm Harvey crushed Central America and eastern Mexico with strong winds and torrential rain on Sunday (21st August 2011), threatening to cause destructive mudslides across the mountainous landscape. Miami-based US National Hurricane Center said, “these rains could produce life-threatening flash floods and mudslides, especially over higher terrain,”.

The storm made landfall in Belize near Dangriga on Saturday and weakened as it moved farther inland and into northern Guatemala and eastern Mexico. On Sunday morning, it was barreling westward at a speed of 22km/h, with maximum sustained winds near 65km/h, the center said. Located about 65km north northwest of Tikal, Guatemala, the storm was forecast to continue moving inland. Stormy weather killed hundreds of people last year in Central America, a region highly vulnerable to weather disaster due to its rugged terrain and poor infrastructure.

As Harvey pounded Central America, Tropical Storm Irene formed east of the Caribbean’s Leeward Islands and was expected to strike the early next week, US forecasters said. On the forecast track, Irene was expected to pass near or over Puerto Rico and Hispaniola island — shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic — early next week before possibly hitting the Florida Keys islands.

“Some strengthening is forecast over the next 48 hours and Irene could become a hurricane on Monday,” warned the Miami-based center.Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands, Barbados, Curacao, Antigua and Barbuda have issued .