The Honduran government declared a state of emergency and 2,600 people were evacuated from low-lying areas along the Atlantic coast and in the north, President Ricardo Maduro told reporters.

Tropical Storm Gamma is the 23rd to form in the Atlantic this year in what has become the busiest hurricane season on record.

It was expected to barrel alongside the coast of Belize, past Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and Cuba's western tip, before crossing southern Florida early next week, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

The forecasters indicated they did not expect the storm to strengthen into a full-blown hurricane.

Pounding rains caused by the weather system caused flash floods and destroyed several bridges in northern Honduras, cutting off several communities and forcing hundreds of people to flee their homes.

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