Torrential rain caused by Tropical Storm Sara has paralyzed more than 1,700 communities in Honduras.

The slow-moving storm caused widespread flooding in the Central American country.

So far, Honduran officials have confirmed only one death but said more than 110,000 people had been affected by the storm.

Forecasters say Sara is likely to weaken further on Monday as it moves over the southern Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

Sara was born on Thursday in the Caribbean Sea.

The tropical storm moved extremely slowly and dumped massive amounts of rain on northern Honduras for four days before moving north into Belize and Mexico.

In some areas, 500 mm (19.7 in) of rain fell, causing rivers to swell.

Nine bridges were destroyed by fast-flowing water and another 19 damaged, Honduran emergency services said.

Several highways also became impassable due to landslides.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro had already warned citizens living near rivers on Thursday to take shelter elsewhere and thousands heeded her call.

More than 2,500 homes were damaged and more than 200 were destroyed, officials said.

Sara is the 18th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the third this month.

Less than two weeks ago, Hurricane Rafael caused a nationwide power outage when it struck Cuba.

Meteorologists say the storms are fueled by high sea surface temperatures.

While hurricanes and tropical storms occur naturally, human-induced climate change is fueling them and increasing the risk of major damage,” warned Kevin Trenberth, a leading scientist at the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colorado.

• How unusual has this hurricane season been?