Season's 1st tropical storm drenches part of Central America

The first tropical storm of the Eastern Pacific season drenched parts of Guatemala and El Salvador on Sunday as it plunged inland.

Newly formed Tropical Storm Amanda had maximum sustained winds of 40 mph (65 kph) Sunday morning and it was centered about 15 miles (25 kilometers) east-northeast of Guatemala City while moving to the north-northeast at 9 mph (15 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

Forecasters said it should soon weaken or dissipate during the day or by night, but there was a possibility its remnants could form a new system in the Gulf of Mexico.

Amanda could dump 10 to 15 inches (25 to 38 centimeters) of rain over El Salvador, southern Guatemala, western Honduras and southeastern Mexico, with lesser totals over parts of Nicaragua and Belize.