Storm System Soaks Belize, Showers Continue

If you thought the rain was heavy yesterday, you weren’t imagining it. An upper-level low-pressure system brought in a surge of moisture, triggering thunderstorms and downpours across the country. Some areas saw just a few drops, while others got drenched with over five inches of rain. And guess what? More showers are on the way, especially for the south. Here’s what Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon says about what caused the soggy weather and what we can expect next.

 

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“We had increasing moisture starting from late Wednesday and persisting to this morning. This is associated with an upper level low pressure system at the higher levels of the atmosphere, producing instability, increasing moisture and, as you can see, heavy downpours of showers and thunderstorms in most parts of the country. In terms of the rainfall totals, for the twenty-four hour period between midnight on Wednesday to midnight on Thursday we saw almost ranging from less than an inch to over an inch in the north and the highest concentration of rainfall was over the central coastal areas, that’s the Belize District and the northern Stann Creek District where we recorded 0.3 of an inch to just over five inches and that was where the peak occurred. Inland, we got between just under an inch to over three inches, and in the south, between 0.2 to 1.5 inches of rainfall. That was for the period before this morning. We do expect that there will be additional rainfall, additional showers and thunderstorms, especially over the southern districts, that is Toledo and Stann Creek Districts tonight into tomorrow morning and again, decreasing in the afternoon hours. We do not anticipate the totals to be as much as we have seen over the past twenty-four hours. Like I said, for tomorrow, between midnight and midnight on Sunday, expect about an inch to two inches in some areas, that’s the peak, and even less on Sunday into Monday. But it doesn’t mean we won’t get any rains, we’ll get rains.”