Belize spared from ravages of 2005 Hurricane Season
By NEMO Information Unit
Mon, 5 Dec 2005, 14:08
A very active hurricane season came to a close on November 30, 2005. During the months between June and November,a number of long-standing records were shattered. Among them was the record number of named storms (25 in total), breaking the previous record from 1933 with 21 named storms. A total of 13 hurricanes formed this season;this also broke an old record of twelve.
Seven (7) of these hurricanes evolved into major hurricanes, of Category 3 intensity or stronger. Another record set was for the most category five hurricanes in a single season. There were three (3) category five hurricanes, namely: Katrina, Rita and Wilma.
Belize was spared from the ravages of these storms that affected many parts of the Atlantic Basin. The Central American region suffered considerably during this time. Damages to our country due to its proximity to nearby storms was minimal.
Wilma became the strongest hurricane on record in the Atlantic Basin, with a pressure of 882 mb, breaking the old record held by Hurricane Gilbert set in 1988, with a pressure of 888 mb. Katrina will likely be the costliest U.S. hurricane on record. Also, after the final tally for damage, the destruction caused by this season’s hurricane landfall on U.S. soil will turn out to be the most costly in U.S. history, breaking the record of the terrible 2004 season of US $45 billion. Additionally, the landfall of four (4) major hurricanes on the United States coastline set a new record.
It is estimated that over a thousand people lost their lives during the 2005 hurricane season, one million people were made homeless and property damage in the range of US $150 billion have been estimated for insured and uninsured property in the United States alone.
The country of Belize went on watch and warning phase for three of the hurricanes that came very near to our coast this season. These included the threat of Emily during July 11-21, powerful hurricane Wilma during the period October 15-25, and tropical storm Gamma during November 15-21, 2005.
Weather experts say that some factors contributing to the marked upsurge of tropical cyclone activity in the Atlantic Basin during the consecutive seasons of 2004 and 2005 included: above-average Atlantic sea surface temperatures, below-average vertical wind shear across the tropical Atlantic and a strengthened Atlantic Inter-tropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ). Additionally, above-average (pressure) heights along the U.S. east coast during both seasons provided steering currents that favored a westward track of tropical cyclones to longitudes of the western Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and southern United States before recurving.
Weather experts believe that the trend of high tropical cyclone activity is related more with a cyclical change between “active” and “quiet” phases that could take decades to complete. The current active phase began in 1995 and could last for the next 25 years.