The Colombian island of San Andres was hit by tropical storm Julia on Saturday night, and it intensified into a hurricane with top sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h) as it proceeded near Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.

The NHC issued a warning that through the beginning of next week, life-threatening flash floods and mudslides might occur in Central America and Southern Mexico.

The storm is headed straight for Nicaragua, the NHC said in a statement earlier on Saturday.

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What is the Atlantic hurricane season?

The Atlantic hurricane season is the annual period, usually between June and November when tropical cyclones are most prone to form in the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere.

These kinds of storms are formed during this period, i.e., late summer when the difference in the temperature of the ocean and the winds above it are the highest, leading to storms.  

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Tropical cyclones in the North Atlantic are usually called hurricanes, tropical storms or tropical depressions. While the season officially begins from June 1 and ends on November 30, storms usually peak from late August through September.

Through the season, the United States National Hurricane Center issues regular tropical weather outlooks. In addition, it coordinates with the Weather Prediction Center to keep a look out for weather systems that have not yet formed but might develop over a period of three to seven days. 

In recent history, the Atlantic hurricane season saw the most amount of cyclones in 2020, with the NHC flagging 30 named tropical cyclones. 

So far in 2022, there have been four named tropical storms called Tropical Storm Alex, Bonnie, Colin and Gaston. Similarly, there have been four named hurricanes called Hurricane Danielle, Earl, Fiona and the most recent, Ian.