Cristina crawls toward Central America, flood threat grows

Tropical Storm Cristina formed Monday afternoon just off Nicaragua and is moving north toward landfall near El Salvador. Forecasters warn tropical storm winds along parts of the Central American Pacific coast into early Thursday, while heavy rain—over 6 inches

Tropical Storm Cristina is moving north, slow enough that the danger is no longer about dramatic wind gusts—it’s about what the rain will do to slopes, rivers, and coastal towns as the storm crawls toward landfall.

Cristina formed Monday afternoon with its center just off the Pacific coast of Nicaragua. The storm has maximum sustained winds from 39 to 73 mph. and tropical storm warnings have been issued along parts of the Central American Pacific coast. Those warned areas are expected to keep seeing tropical storm winds along the coast of El Salvador and northwest Nicaragua into early Thursday.

The clock matters because Cristina doesn’t have much time before its center moves ashore. Even though the storm is over deep. very warm water and conditions include diminished wind shear—factors that can help storms organize—it is not expected to strengthen much before landfall in El Salvador. After it comes ashore, it is expected to fizzle soon after, by sometime Thursday.

The potential path is marked by a red-shaded area showing the possible track of the center. That forecast path may differ slightly from an experimental path product the National Hurricane Center is testing in 2026. And even if the center stays close to the forecast line. impacts can still stretch beyond it—heavy rain. high surf. coastal flooding. and winds can spread wider than the storm’s projected track.

Rain is the main concern because this is the kind of storm that can dump water even without strengthening into something more intense. The rainfall threat depends on how slowly the system moves and whether the landscape is hilly or mountainous—terrain that can force moist air upward and boost downpours.

Forecasters say over 6 inches of rain could fall in parts of El Salvador, far northwest Nicaragua, and possibly parts of southern Guatemala. That amount of rainfall could trigger life-threatening flash flooding and landslides, particularly in hilly or mountainous locations near the coast.

Cristina is not arriving alone. The system follows Tropical Storms Amanda and Boris, both of which have since fizzled. Together, those storms feed into expectations for what is set to be a busy season for the Eastern Pacific Basin.

A rainfall outlook for the next 7 days shows where heavier totals are most likely, with the yellow, orange and red contours indicating the areas most vulnerable to larger rain amounts.

Jonathan Erdman, a senior meteorologist at weather.com who has been covering national and international weather since 1996, says extreme and bizarre weather are his favorite topics. He has been tracking the situation closely as Cristina advances north.

For communities along the Central American Pacific coast, the warning is clear: the storm’s arrival may be brief, but the hazards—especially flash flooding and landslides—can linger as the rain falls.

Tropical Storm Cristina Central America flood danger El Salvador northwest Nicaragua tropical storm warnings heavy rain flash flooding landslides Eastern Pacific Basin