Reporting live, tropical storm Pilar has claimed two lives in El Salvador, officials confirm, amidst ongoing torrential rains and flash floods ravaging parts of Central America this Wednesday. El Salvador’s civil defense office’s assistant director, Fermín Pérez, reported the tragic loss of a 24-year-old man and a 57-year-old woman on Sunday. They fell victim to the surging streams in La Union province, with rescue teams recovering their bodies by Monday, the Associated Press reveals.
As Pilar continues its westward journey away from the Pacific coastline of Central America, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) has lifted Tropical Storm Watches for Nicaragua and Honduras. Yet, El Salvador’s entire Pacific coast remains under vigilant watch.
The NHC anticipates Pilar to unleash an additional 2 to 4 inches of rain, potentially reaching 6 inches in localized areas, across southern parts of Central America, encompassing southern El Salvador, southern Honduras, western Nicaragua, and northern Costa Rica, persisting through Wednesday. This rainfall surge is set to escalate flash and urban flooding risks, with the possibility of mudslides on higher ground.
Swells churned up by Pilar are forecasted to batter the Pacific shores of Central America for the next few days. The NHC warns these conditions could provoke dangerously high surf and deadly rip currents.
Currently, Pilar is positioned approximately 105 miles south-southwest of Puerto San Jose, Guatemala, barreling northwest at a pace of 9 mph. The storm packs maximum sustained winds of 60 mph, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching outward up to 80 miles. Pilar is charted to veer off from the Central American coast throughout the weekend, marking it as the 16th named storm of the Eastern Pacific’s current tropical cyclone season.