Hurricane Iris was a small, but powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused widespread destruction in Belize. Iris was the second-strongest storm of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season, behind Hurricane Michelle.[1] It was the ninth named storm, fifth hurricane, and third major hurricane[nb 1] of the year, forming from a tropical wave on October 4 just southeast of Barbados. It moved westward through the Caribbean, intensifying into a tropical storm on October 5 south of Puerto Rico, and into a hurricane on the following day. While passing south of the Dominican Republic, Iris dropped heavy rainfall that caused landslides, killing eight people. Later, the hurricane passed south of Jamaica, where it destroyed two houses. On reaching the western Caribbean Sea, Iris rapidly intensified into a Category 4 on the Saffir–Simpson scale. A small hurricane with an eye of only 7 mi (11 km) in diameter, Iris reached peak winds of 145 mph (233 km/h) before making landfall in southern Belize near Monkey River Town on October 9. The hurricane quickly dissipated over Central America, although its remnants contributed to the formation of Tropical Storm Manuel in the eastern Pacific Ocean. The hurricane caused severe damage—destroying homes, flooding streets, and leveling trees—in coastal towns south of Belize City.
Destruction was heaviest in Belize and totaled $250 million (2001 USD).[nb 2] Because Iris was compact, the damage was largely confined to 72% of the houses in the Toledo district and 50% of the houses in the Stann Creek district. The hurricane damaged or destroyed 3,718 homes nationwide, and wrecked more than 95% of the homes in 35 villages in the poorest parts of the country. Iris left about 15,000 people homeless, many receiving assistance from the government and the local Red Cross chapter. High winds also damaged large swaths of forest and crops, mostly affecting the banana industry. Iris killed 24 people in Belize, including 20 who died when a scuba diving boat capsized near Big Creek. The storm also killed eight people and damaged about 2,500 homes in neighboring Guatemala, and later dropped heavy rainfall in southern Mexico, where two people died.
^"Atlantic hurricane best track (HURDAT version 2)" (Database). United States National Hurricane Center. April 5, 2023. Retrieved June 29, 2024. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
^National Hurricane Center (July 11, 2010). "Glossary of NHC Terms". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
Cite error: There are <ref group=nb> tags on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=nb}} template (see the help page).
HurricaneIris was a small, but powerful Category 4 hurricane that caused widespread destruction in Belize. Iris was the second-strongest storm of the...
Allison, which caused extensive flooding in Texas; HurricaneIris, which struck Belize; and Hurricane Michelle, which left a trail of destruction across...
2005 Atlantic hurricane season when five storms formed in July. A total of seven storms formed in August — Felix, Gabrielle, Humberto, Iris, Jerry, Karen...
In the Atlantic: Tropical Storm Iris (1989) – did not become strong or threaten land due to interaction with Hurricane Hugo, but dropped heavy rain on...
three Category 4 hurricanes have impacted Belize, including the 1931 British Honduras hurricane, Hurricane Keith in 2000, and HurricaneIris in 2001. The...
and the third-most intense hurricane recorded during the 1995 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm, along with Humberto, Iris, and Karen, was one of four...
October 8) – HurricaneIris makes landfall near Monkey River Town, Belize, with winds of 145 mph (235 km/h). 06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. CDT) – HurricaneIris weakens...
deadliest storms were Tropical Storm Allison in June, HurricaneIris in October, and Hurricane Michelle in November. All three of these storms had their...
being HurricaneIris and the much more powerful and destructive Hurricane Luis. The thirteenth named storm, seventh hurricane and third major hurricane of...
1995: Hurricane Marilyn passes 50 miles to the north-east. August 25, 1995 HurricaneIris passes 70 miles to the north. October 4, 2001 HurricaneIris passes...
Six, Nine, and Thirteen, and Hurricanes Erin and Felix caused negligible impact. Hurricane Gabrielle and Tropical Storm Iris caused light effects on land...
06:00 UTC (2:00 a.m. AST) – HurricaneIris weakens to a tropical storm. 12:00 UTC (8:00 a.m. AST) – Tropical Storm Iris transitions into an extratropical...
and at least $280 million in damage. Soon after, on 9 October 2001, HurricaneIris made landfall at Monkey River Town as a 235 km/h (145 mph) Category...
November 13, 1994 — Hurricane Gordon (1994) October 7, 2001 – HurricaneIris August 11, 2004 – Hurricane Charley September 11, 2004 – Hurricane Ivan July 7,...
Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale several times. Typhoon June (1975) was the first reported case of triple eyewalls, and Hurricane Juliette and Iris (2001) were...
absorbed by HurricaneIrisHurricane Karen (2001), made landfall at Nova Scotia as a tropical storm Hurricane Karen (2007), Category 1 hurricane in the tropical...
referred to as Placencia Village, or simply Placencia. On October 8, 2001, HurricaneIris hit southern Belize with 145 mph winds causing major damage to nearly...
October 7, 2001 - HurricaneIris hits Central America bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the Cayman Islands. November 4, 2001 - Hurricane Michelle passes...
Category 4 hurricanes are tropical cyclones that reach Category 4 intensity on the Saffir–Simpson scale. Category 4 hurricanes that later attained Category 5...
lost to the storm. October 6, 2001 - HurricaneIris moves to the south of Hispaniola as a Category 1 hurricane, dropping heavy rainfall and killing three...
Sittee River Village has a population of 312. In 2001, the arrival of HurricaneIris caused significant flooding in the community. Located in Sittee River...
portal List of retired Atlantic hurricane names List of Category 4 Atlantic hurricanesHurricane Stan HurricaneIris - Similar storm that struck Belize...
Hurricane Maria was a deadly Category 5 hurricane that devastated the northeastern Caribbean in September 2017, particularly in the U.S. territory of...
Hurricane Olga was the fifteenth named storm and ninth hurricane of the 2001 Atlantic hurricane season. It was notable as it was the largest tropical...
Global Information
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
