Belize Will Likely End Hurricane Season Slightly Below Average

As the hurricane season winds down, questions are swirling about whether the current storm classification system needs an upgrade. According to Chief Meteorologist, Ronald Gordon, weighs in. Regional and international agencies, including the National Hurricane Center and the World Meteorological Organization, agree that no changes are needed at this time. While that stance could change in the future, for now, the system remains as is. On the season’s activity, Gordon notes that Belize has seen thirteen named storms so far, slightly below the normal of fourteen. NOAA projected between thirteen and nineteen storms, so we’re at the lower end of that range.

 

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“That question has been raised before. Like you rightly said, it’s not a decision that is made locally. We work with regional counterparts in the Caribbean and also the United States, the National Hurricane Center, and the World Meteorological Organization. The consensus is that we do not need to increase the number of categories. The definition of a category five is anything above one-hundred-and-fifty-seven [miles per hour]. So, whether it be two hundred miles per hour, it is still a category five. Adding more categories will create more confusion, so it’s best we keep it within the current categories. That’s the consensus right now, but that could change in the future. Currently, we have had thirteen named storms for the season. The normal is fourteen, so we are below average by one named storm. The projection from NOAA was from thirteen to nineteen named storms. So we are within the range but at the lower limit of that range, in terms of total named storms. If we don’t have one developing in November, another one developing, it could be that we’ll end up with a slightly below normal season. But, as we always say, and you can see it from Jamaica, even though it may be below normal in overall activity, that single hurricane, Melissa, was so significant that it’s a very active season for them.”