AmbergrisCaye.com Home Forums Talk Belize Weather Tropical Storms & Hurricanes 1942 Hurricane

As the cold fronts start visiting our little country during October and November although they are refreshing after a long harsh summer, we must remember that they have played a pivotal role in the visit of hurricanes during the month of October, and yes, even November. Let's revisit the 1942 hurricane.

The 1942 Belize hurricane was the only known hurricane to strike Belize in the month of November. This storm was detected in the vicinity of Turks and Caicos Islands on November 5. Initially a storm, it strengthened slowly while moving westward and then south-southwestward across the Bahamas. On November 6th it made landfall in Cayo Romano, Camagüey Province. While crossing Cuba, the system weakened to a tropical storm early on November 7, shortly before emerging into the Caribbean Sea. The storm re-strengthened into a hurricane later that day and headed southwestward.

Late on November 8, this system curved westward and intensified into a Category 2 hurricane. Six hours later, it peaked with winds of 110 mph (175 km/h). Early on November 9, the storm struck Caye Caulker and the northern Belize District. About 90% of structures in San Pedro Town were destroyed, while Newtown was completely obliterated, causing its residents to relocate and establish the village of Hopkins. Tides along the coast split Caye Caulker into two separate islands and swept away "everything in its path". Overall, nine deaths were reported and damage totaled approximately $4 million USD.

Date: November 5, 1942 - November 11, 1942
Damage: $4 million (1942 USD)
Lowest pressure: 991 mbar (hPa); 29.26 inHg
Areas affected: Bahamas, Belize, Cuba

Albert Paul Avila

Lots of people are not aware that Belize was hit by a late season hurricane in 1942. The reason for this amnesia in our climatological history is because Janet in 1955 and Hattie in 1961 were so devastating. I have posted before that the split, cut, or whatever you call it that divides Caye Caulker was originally created by the 1942 hurricane. It was exacerbated by Janet, Hattie, and some dredging.

Although the 1942 hurricane was only a category 2 hurricane it hit Caye Caulker very hard. From the attached photos, it seemed to have hit Corozal hard too. My dad survived it in Caye Caulker when he was twelve. He said the island was totally submerged by the sea and the only thing that kept their house from being washed away were the post that held up the house. The house bobbed up and down on its posts which were protruding through the floor. Attached are a few photos with its effect on Corozal.

On November 5, a tropical storm was first seen over the northern Lesser Antilles. It headed west-northwestward, becoming a hurricane on November 6 over the southern Bahamas. A ridge of high pressure to its north forced the storm west-southwestward, where it hit Cuba later that day. After weakening over the island, the now tropical storm re-strengthened to a hurricane on November 8 over the western Caribbean Sea. It attained a peak of at least 110 mph (180 km/h) winds before hitting Belize on November 9, which is a conservative assessment as it is possible the storm strengthened into a major hurricane but there was no conclusive data. After crossing the Yucatán Peninsula, the ridge of high pressure built to its northwest, forcing the storm back southeastward. It hit the western Yucatán Peninsula on November 11, and dissipated shortly thereafter over land. The hurricane was responsible for nine deaths, $4 million in damage, and unavailable damage figures elsewhere. It has been detected in sediment cores from the bottom of the Great Blue Hole.

Source: Wikipedia