The 2016 Atlantic Hurricane Season has become one of the most active and deadliest in years. We survived it here in Belize, but not without being hit by Hurricane Earl which caused over $10Mil in damages on Ambergris Caye alone and over $100Mil loss for Belize’s agriculture industry.
Hurricane Earl was a big blow for Belize in August, luckily there were no casualties during the Category 1 Storm. There was major damage to infrastructure as strong winds ripped roofs off some buildings, uprooted trees and caused widespread power outages.
Looking at all the storm activity during the Atlantic Season, there was lots more devastation and loss of lives. The season generated 15 named storms, seven of which were hurricanes; three of those Major Hurricanes. The season was the deadliest since 2005 and the costliest since 2012.
Hurricane Matthew was the strongest storm, reaching Category 5 status in early October. Matthew was the first hurricane to reach Category 5 status since 2007. It killed over 1,500 people in Haiti. Dozens were killed in North Carolina, U.S., as the state suffered the worst flooding since Floyd in 1999.
In early September, Hurricane Hermine became the first hurricane to make landfall in Florida since Wilma in 2005.
Tropical Storm Julia formed over land, just outside of Jacksonville, Florida, in mid-September, marking a rare occurrence. Storms do not typically reach a tropical status over land.
The slow-moving storm caused flash flooding and produced 3 to 6 inches of rain across portions of eastern Georgia and South Carolina.
In late November, Hurricane Otto became the southernmost hurricane to make landfall in South America. The system hit Nicaragua with strong winds and intense rainfall. Nearly 10 people were killed.
– Source: AccuWeather
