Hurricane Richard

Landfall | Summary
Posting Date: October 25, 2010, 12:00:00 PM

Hurricane Richard—dubbed “little Richard” by the National Hurricane Center because of its small size—made landfall around 7:45 pm CDT Sunday, October 24 (0045 UTC Monday, October 25) along the coast of Belize, about 20 miles south-southwest of Belize City (pop. 80,000 people). The storm came ashore with sustained winds of 90 mph, equivalent to a strong category 1 on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Scale. As of the National Hurricane Center’s 10:00 AM CDT advisory, Tropical Depression Richard’s sustained winds have weakened to 35 mph and are expected to continue to decrease slowly today as the system heads across southeastern Mexico toward the Gulf. All tropical storm warnings have been lifted by the NHC. AIR expects wind damage in Mexico to be minimal. Although the storm is expected to steadily dissipate, the remnants of Richard threaten to dump up to 10 inches of rain in parts of Guatemala and northeast Mexico. Over the weekend, Richard's heavy rains caused a landslide that blocked a highway in Honduras’ northern Colon province, cutting off about 15,000 residents in 40 small towns. Officials across the region are keeping a close eye on river levels as the rains could produce life-threatening flashfloods, particularly in mountainous areas. Ahead of the storm, Belize authorities evacuated an estimated 10,000 residents to nearby schools and churches. The storm caused widespread power outages across the country. Local officials have reported roof damage to poorly constructed homes and some homes were blown off their stilts. Residential properties in Belize are commonly constructed of masonry or wood, and poor construction practices, such as the use of tin roof coverings, may lead to significant damage, involving the loss of roof coverings. While Belize escaped major damage this time, the tiny country has been hit by a number of hurricanes, including Greta in 1978, Iris in 2001, and Hattie in 1961. Category 5 Hattie killed more than 300 people and reportedly caused an estimated $60 million in property losses, prompting officials to move the capital inland to Belmopan. According to the latest forecast, Richard is not expected to reintensify. However, the AIR tropical cyclone team will continue to monitor the progress of this storm and will provide updates as warranted by events.

Landfall | Downloads
Posting Date: October 25, 2010, 12:00:00 PM