Tropical Storm Sara has formed in the Caribbean Sea and has begun lashing the sparsely-populated Caribbean coast of Honduras with heavy rain.

Tropical Storm Sara formed this afternoon and threatens to bring "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and mudslides" to Honduras throughout the weekend, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center. A turn toward Florida is still possible, forecasters said.

Tropical Storm Sara dumped heavy rains with the potential to cause disastrous flooding Thursday as it churned inland along the northeastern coast of Honduras.