2020 Atlantic hurricane season: one to remember, hard to forget

By Aaron Humes: For many across the Atlantic and Caribbean region, midnight on December 1 will bring to a merciful end a season they would prefer to forget.

The 2020 Atlantic hurricane season is one to remember, however, for many reasons.

It is the most active in history, with 31 named storms, 13 total hurricanes, and six major hurricanes by the count of the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

More than 432 died and the region lost a combined US$40.256 million, surpassing 2005’s record of 30 named storms, 15 hurricanes, and several major hurricanes.

The U.S. alone was hit by 17 hurricanes from New England to Texas, followed by Mexico, Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Cuba, Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Bermuda, and Cape Verde, in Africa.

Belize was directly impacted by Hurricane Nana in September and rains and wind from Hurricanes Eta and Iota in November. Damage from the latter two storms is currently estimated at BZ$150 million.

Eta caused the most damage, with 189 deaths, and US$6.5 billion in losses during its path between October 31 and November 13 through Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Cuba, Mexico, and in the United States, Florida, and Georgia.

According to preliminary reports from civil protection organizations, another cyclone that caused significant damage was Iota, with 84 people killed, and Laura, with 77 deaths and 14 billion dollars in losses. The most powerful hurricane of the season was Laura, which registered winds of 240 kilometers per hour during the season.

There were two pre-season storms, Arthur and Bertha were formed on May 16th and 27th. Rarely, storms may form outside the usual hurricane season, mostly subtropical due to the presence of cold fronts.

The hurricane season begins on June 1st and ends on November 30th of each year.

Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Belize ~ We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages. Your content is delivered instantly to thousands of users in Belize and abroad! Contact us at mаrkеtіng@brеаkіngbеlіzеnеwѕ.соm or call us at 501-612-0315.

© 2020, BreakingBelizeNews.com. Content is copyrighted and requires written permission for reprinting in online or print media. Theft of content without permission/payment is punishable by law.