Potential Impacts of Impending Storm

Rainfall is expected to begin on Wednesday evening and continues into Thursday. With certain areas already saturated from the recent flooding, coastal flooding is inevitable. While the exact location where the eye of the storm will make landfall is uncertain, the entire country will be affected. Chief Meteorologist Ronald Gordon shares the possible impacts of the impending storm.

Ronald Gordon

Ronald Gordon, Chief Meteorologist

“The system will produce rainfall in the amounts of two to four inches per day starting on Wednesday, through to Wednesday night and Thursday. In terms of flooding, that could result in flooding especially over low-lying area and flood prone areas and even so more considering the fact that we have the soil that is already saturated from the recent events with Hurricane Julia. In addition to the rainfall, there is likely to be coastal flooding due to storm surge with about three to five feet possible especially north to where the system makes landfall and that could result in an increase in the level of flooding for coastal residence. And in terms of a category one hurricane those are systems with winds of seventy-four to ninety-five miles per hour, so we are expecting those winds to affect areas just around the center where the system, makes landfall. Important for residents to note is that as the system gets nearer to Belize, you will see the cone narrowing; that indicates that we are more clear as to where it will make landfall. However, because the cone narrows, there will be locations within the country that will not be covered by the cone and the misconception that some people will get from that is that those areas will not be affected. It is important to note, and we saw that with the situation in Florida, that there will be impacts outside of that cone and hence the reason why we want the residents across the entire country to be on the alert and for the system as it approaches us and makes landfall on Belize, like I said late Wednesday or into Thursday morning.”