MANAGUA, Nicaragua (AP) Tropical Storm Ida is laying into Nicaragua's Corn Island just hours after forming in the southwest Caribbean.

The storm has uprooted trees, knocked down power lines and telephone poles and forced 300 people to evacuate. A Nicaraguan official says communications are spotty, and information is slow in coming.

The owner of the Paraiso Beach Hotel says while there's plenty of wind and rain "it's not a catastrophe." The U.S. National Hurricane Center is warning that Ida could bring flash flooding and landslides to mainland Nicaragua, with up to 20 inches of rain expected.

The storm is threatening to grow into a hurricane before making landfall. A hurricane watch is in effect for the eastern coast of Nicaragua.

Ida's expected to make landfall in Nicaragua early Thursday morning.

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