[chris]

On Sunday, October 9, Hurricane Julia hit Nicaragua's central Caribbean coast and brought torrential rain across Central America. It made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 140 km/h, then weakened to tropical storm force winds of 85 km/h by late afternoon as it moved across Nicaragua.

A local agency reported roofs blown off several houses and trees knocked down on San Andres Island, east of Nicaragua. Power and communications were cut in some areas.

Local news media showed trees down across roads and local flooding. Heavy flooding was reported in Nandaime, with concern among residents. There were no reports of casualties so far.

Nicaragua had earlier evacuated about 6,000 people from the Laguna de Perlas area, the Miskito keys off the coast, and other zones as the hurricane approached.

Heavy rain and evacuations were also reported in Panama, Honduras, and Costa Rica, where some highways were closed because of the downpours.

The storm was forecast to emerge over the Pacific and skirt the coasts of El Salvador and Guatemala, a region already saturated by weeks of heavy rain. More storms could develop before the season ends in late November.