Tropical storm Adrian, the first storm of the season for the Eastern Pacific, was upgraded earlier today to hurricane status, with maximum sustained winds of 85 mph. His winds are bad enough, but he is threatening the Central American nations of El Salvador and Honduras with torrential rains, flooding and dangerous mudslides.

It's already raining there, and residents of El Salvador are scrambling to prepare for what would be the first hurricane to strike their country directly since record-keeping began. Most Eastern Pacific hurricanes moves to the north and west, away from the Salvadoran coastline. This one is headed straight for it. The many Central American immigrants in the Washington and Baltimore areas are likely watching this storm closely.

Adrian is expected to weaken as he crosses the Central American landmass, emerging on the Caribbean side as a tropical depression. If the storm regains enough strength, it could reach tropical storm strength again and be renamed Arlene - the first storm of the Atlantic season, which doesn't officially begin until June 1. For now, however, the forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have the storm remaining a depression as it crosses the Caribbean, headed northeast toward drought-stricken Cuba, where they could use the rain.