Hurricane Richard makes landfall in Belize

October 25th 2010

Hurricane Richard made landfall in Belize on Sunday night, meteorologists say, with maximum sustained winds of 150 km/hr (90 mph).

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the eye of hurricane Richard made landfall around 07:45 p.m. CDT on Sunday (0045 UTC Monday) along the coast of Belize, about 35 kilometers (20 miles) south-southwest of Belize City.

As of 01:00 a.m. CDT (0600 UTC), the center of hurricane Richard was located 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of Belize City, or about 290 kilometers (180 miles) east-southeast of the Mexican port city of Ciudad del Carmen, near the Belize/Guatemala border.

The hurricane is moving toward the west-northwest near 15 km/hr (9 mph), and according to the Miami-based center, it will move across northern Guatemala and southeastern Mexico on Monday, and into the extreme southern Gulf of Mexico on Monday night or early Tuesday.

Maximum sustained winds have decreased to near 120 km/hr (75 mph). Steady weakening is expected as Richard moves further inland.

Ahead of the expected landfall in Belize, authorities announced the closure of the country's busiest airport and the evacuation and relocation plans for all in-country travelers and travelers who are planning to visit Belize in the coming days.

In the Toledo District, located in the southernmost region of Belize, authorities closed all hotels and evacuated residents and travelers to safe grounds. In northern Belize, people was evacuated to shelters.

Richard is expected to produce rainfall accumulations of 3 to 6 inches across Belize, northern Guatemala, and the Mexican states of Quintana Roo and Campeche, with maximum storm total amounts of around 10 inches.