(CNN) -- Tropical Storm Richard is moving steadily toward the Bay Islands of Honduras -- a popular tourism destination -- bringing with it strong winds and heavy rains, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said early Sunday.
It's a high-end tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph -- five mph short of being labeled a hurricane.
TS Richard is 225 miles east-southeast of Belize City, Belize, and over the next couple of days it is expected to move westward in the general vicinity of the small Central American nation.
In the next 24 hours, it's likely to move inland over Belize, then head over southern Mexico, where it will weaken.
"It's possible Richard could reach hurricane strength before it moves inland," said John Cangialosi with the National Hurricane Center. "That's what we're forecasting for later on" Sunday.
Some of the big impacts are over Central America and that's where it's going to take a toll on some of those countries.
"It is not a concern for the U.S.," said Cangialosi. "Even if it does get into the southern Gulf of Mexico, a very strong wind sheer of that area will continue to weaken the system".
A wind sheer is when winds go in different directions, causing the storm to weaken.
In Central America, rainfall is expected to reach two to four inches over northern Honduras and the Bay Islands.
Belize can expect isolated maximum rain amounts of seven inches and a storm surge of two to four feet above normal tide level. The tropical storm warning and hurricane warnings will stay in effect for that coastline because of the wind threat.
CNN
