Tropical Storm Earl has officially reached  the level of a category 1 hurricane. The hurricane packing 130 kilometer (80 mile) per hour winds and heavy rain made landfall in Central America near Belize’s capital, where officials warned of likely flooding and damage to homes Thursday.

Earl swept in from the Caribbean at hurricane strength to strike just south of Belize City, population 60,000, around midnight Wednesday (0600 GMT Thursday), according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm weakened as it moved inland, and by 1200 GMT the NHC had downgraded it from a hurricane to a tropical storm with 65 mile (105 kilometer) per hour winds.

Belize’s National Emergency Management Organization had warned of a threat of flashfloods and mudslides and flooding in low-lying areas.

Earl was expected to dissipate further as it moves across northern Guatemala and southern Mexico, the NHC said.

The Mexican authorities took no chances, evacuating 300 families living close to a river along the border with Belize in the southeastern state of Quinta Roo for fear of flooding.

More than 750 shelters were readied in the state in preparation for expected high winds and fierce gusts.

Other southern Mexican states likely to be affected were Campeche, Tabasco and Yucatan.

In the northern Guatemala town of Puerto Barrios, a military commander, Colonel Nelson Tun, told AFP that “patrols in vulnerable areas” were being carried out.

“We have identified high areas to where the population can evacuate before possible flooding,” he said.

Guatemala in particular is prone to rainy season flooding and mudslides that often prove fatal.

Guatemala’s population, at 16 million, is much bigger than the 330,000 in Belize, Central America’s only English speaking country.

Guatemala’s president, Jimmy Morales, late Wednesday offered Belize humanitarian aid and shelters along the border if needed.

That gesture was significant after months of tensions between the two countries following a shooting death of a Guatemalan boy by a Belizean border patrol in April.

The fifth named tropical storm of the 2016 season, Earl strengthened to a Category 1 hurricane on Wednesday, according to the NHC. Winds initially measured at 120 kilometers per hour picked up just before landfall.

Category 1, the lowest of five grades on the hurricane scale, is described as having dangerous winds of between 119 and 153 kilometers per hour that can rip off roofs, bring down trees and cause extensive damage to power lines.

Belizean public and private sector workers were permitted to go to their homes Wednesday to secure property.

Officials warned that people living on the ground floor “will experience flooding” and some older wooden buildings would likely be destroyed.

The authorities have opened 29 shelters.

TAMPA, Fla. – Tropical Storm Colin unleashed thunderstorms and flooding on Florida on Monday, prompting the governor to activate the national guard as the storm with 50-mph-winds barreled through the Gulf of Mexico toward the state’s northwest coast.

The storm, about 165 miles (265 km) from the Florida coast as of 2 p.m. (1800 GMT), was forecast to dump as much as 8 inches (20 cm) of rain in some parts of the state. The combination of the storm surge and high tides threatened to bring flooding to coastal areas from Florida up through North Carolina, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The storm was forecast to make landfall below Florida’s panhandle late on Monday afternoon, on a track that would take it over the state and through southern Georgia and then along the Atlantic Ocean coast over South Carolina and North Carolina, the center said.

Governor Rick Scott said more than 6,000 Florida National Guard members were activated and ready for deployment. He also declared a state of emergency in 34 of the state’s 67 counties.Rip tides, lightning, tornado and hail posed dangers to communities far beyond Colin’s immediate path, Scott said.

“It’s going to impact pretty much our entire state,” Scott told a news conference.

In the St. Petersburg beach town of Gulfport, roads were already flooded. One resident used a kayak to float down a thoroughfare past a waterfront cafe that stayed open, allowing people used to severe weather to witness the storm.

More than 10,000 customers were without power ahead of the storm making landfall, local utilities reported.

“This is a mild tempest,” said Trace Taylor, a local writer lunching on onion rings. “What’s there to be afraid of? It’s just water and it’s not that bad.”

The storm also threatened crops in Florida, the country’s biggest citrus producer, which sent U.S. orange juice futures on Monday to their highest in more than two years.

Concerns about storm surges exacerbated by high tides prompted voluntary evacuations in low-lying areas of Franklin County, Florida, about 70 miles (110 km) southwest of Tallahassee.

Flooding and isolated tornadoes threatened densely populated communities from south of the Tampa Bay region through Jacksonville on the east coast, according to the National Weather Service.

Waters could rise by 1 to 3 feet (30 cm to 90 cm) along the state’s western coast from the storm surges.

Colin is part of a brisk start to the Atlantic hurricane season that runs through Nov. 30. Over the U.S. Memorial Day holiday weekend, the Carolinas were lashed by heavy rain and winds from Tropical Storm Bonnie.

UPDATE, 3:20 p.m.:

The severe weather moving through Kenner on Tuesday tore off the back wall of the New Mount Bethel Baptist Church in the Lincoln Manor neighborhood.

Melvin Robertson, who sits on New Mount Bethel’s board of deacons, said it was about 10:30 a.m. when the church in the 1400 block of 31st Street was damaged. Aside from the back wall, strong winds also wrecked a fence isolating the building’s air conditioning unit as well as some grease trap equipment, Robertson said.

Robertson said the church planned on continuing its normally-scheduled activities after cleaning up the debris and covering up the back wall. Church leaders were hopeful that there were no other major storm-related issues affecting the building.

Kenner’s New Mount Bethel counts on a 200-member congregation, Robertson said. Most of them live in Kenner, Metairie or LaPlace, and none were at the church when it was damaged.

The church is well north of the Kenner spot where National Weather Service and Jefferson Parish officials said a tornado touched down about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, causing damage in the Oakland subdivision.

UPDATE, 12:47 p.m.: 

A tornado touched down in a field near Oakland subdivision just after 11:30 a.m. and while there were no injuries reported, there were several reports of wind damage from residents on nearby streets, according to the National Weather Service and Jefferson Parish Emergency officials.

Kenner emergency preparedness coordinantor Doug Dodt said a funnel cloud was spotted by city workers and the airport tower near the airport at 11:21 a.m., though the cloud moved to the Oakland area south of Airline Drive before touching down as a tornado.

Dodt said it appears that the damage reported by residents in the 500 blocks of Salvadore Lane and Centanni Road at 11:28 was from straight-line wind and that the city has seen no photographs of the kind of twisted debris that comes from tornado damage.

Weather service officials will be out to the site to examine the damage and make a determination in the next day or so.

A large tree was also reported down in the 700 block of Pollock Road and Entergy officials have been notified, Kenner said.

Acting Mayor Michael Sigur has ordered the activation of the Kenner Emergency Action Team and the Kenner Help Line – (504) 468-HELP also has been activated for residents to report any damage related to the weather.

Following the lead of Jefferson Parish, Kenner, Gretna, Harahan and Westwego closed their non-emergency offices at 2 p.m. because of the severe weather.

The storms, some of which could be severe, are forecast to arrive during the afternoon hours and continue into the early evening, according to the National Weather Service.

Weather forecasters said Tuesday that high winds, hail, lightning and the chance of tornadoes are possible during the day as the system moves through the area, which is under a tornado watch until 10 p.m.

Citizens are asked to help reduce the chance of street flooding by clearing debris from their streets and drains around their property when it is safe to do so.

Jefferson Parish schools are still open for regularly scheduled hours, but all after-school activities including athletics, after-school care and all adult education classes are canceled.

The 24th Judicial District Court in Gretna will close at 2 p.m., as will parish and juvenile court.

In Kenner, Acting Mayor Michael Sigur said tonight’s meeting for Kenner residents living near the construction area for the Louis Armstrong International Airport’s new North Terminal has been rescheduled for 6 p.m. on March 1 at Susan Park Gym, 502 Veterans Blvd.

Airport spokeswoman Michelle Wilcut said at 11:45 a.m. that the airport is functioning normally and planes are still taking off and landing.

As of 3 p.m., there have been 18 delays and three cancellations, according to the website FlightAware.com.