Heavy rainfall extended from Costa Rica to southeastern Mexico, causing what was considered the worst natural disaster in the region since Hurricane Mitch in 1998.

Widespread rainfall occurred throughout Central America in early October 2008 due to the passage of a tropical wave through the region.

[1] Later, another tropical wave approached the region, which was believed to have left the west coast of Africa on September 17.

[2] On October 13, the system consisted of a large area of convection drifting northward offshore eastern Central America,[3] and Dvorak classifications began, indicating gradual organization.

[4] At 1200 UTC on October 14, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) indicated that Tropical Depression Sixteen developed about 85 kilometres (53 mi) northeast of Cabo Gracias a Dios, a point where the border of Nicaragua and Honduras meet the Caribbean.

Shortly after 1200 UTC on October 15, the weak tropical depression made landfall just west of Punta Patuca in northern Honduras,[2] with a broad and ill-defined circulation.

[2] On October 21, a cold front was moving through the Yucatán Peninsula, interacting with a newly formed low in the Gulf of Honduras to produce additional rainfall.

A ridge to the north was expected to steer the nascent depression westward, and two tropical cyclone forecast models predicted the storm would continue west-northwestward to strike Belize.

[8] While the storm was active, officials in Honduras issued a yellow alert for seven departments where heavy rainfall had occurred.

[11] Although a weak tropical cyclone, the depression and its remnants dropped heavy rainfall across Central America for several days, spreading into Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize.

[2] In El Salvador, the depression dropped heavy rainfall, mainly in the southern coastal portion, with a 24-hour peak of 239 millimetres (9.4 in) in Puerto Parada en La Unión.

[15] According to Costa Rica's National Meteorology Institute, the week ending on October 17 was the wettest in San José since 1944.

[14] The influence between the precursor to the depression and a low-pressure area in the eastern Pacific caused flooding in Costa Rica that killed seven people.

[19] Transport was disrupted in widespread areas in the north and south of the country due to landslides blocking roads.

[20] In early October, heavy rainfall began affecting Nicaragua, causing mudslides and flooding.

[35] A landslide near Corquín blocked a river and created a natural dam, forcing hundreds of nearby residents to leave.

[44] Floods in Guatemala overflowed rivers and caused landslides in Izabal and Petén departments, blocking many roads.

[10] High levels forced officials to release water from several dams, causing urban flooding.

A bridge that had been rebuilt following earlier Tropical Storm Arthur was flooded, prompting the Belize Defence Force to assist in crossings.

On the western portion of the district, flooding along the Macal River damaged a bridge crossing into northern Guatemala, which restricted traffic only to people returning home.

[6] Following the floods in Costa Rica, the country's Red Cross opened shelters to house storm victims.

[37] In Honduras, pre-positioned supplies from UNICEF quickly diminished due to the widespread distribution of blankets and medical kits, raising fears for the spread of disease.

[32] The Mercy Corps later provided corn and bean seeds to 1,300 Honduran farmers to regrow the damaged crops.

[59] The Guatemalan government provided $6.6 million to residents in the northern portion of the country, including medical supplies and seeds to regrow crops.

[61] Search and rescue teams were deployed to the district, and medical crews visited several towns,[62] providing help to 3,000 people.

The Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection department of the European Commission provided nearly $2.2 million for relief efforts.

Non-governmental organizations and other groups providing aid included $1.5 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund, $300,000 from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, $120,000 from Catholic Relief Services, and $289,000 from ACT Alliance.