&sq=&lang=&file=File:Earl_2016-08-03_2245Z.png) Earl approaching Belize near peak intensity on August 3 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | August 2, 2016 |
| Dissipated | August 6, 2016 |
| Category 1 hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 85 mph (140 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 979 mbar (hPa); 28.91 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 94 direct |
| Missing | 12 |
| Damage | $250 million (2016 USD) |
| Areas affected | Lesser Antilles, Puerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Cayman Islands, Central America, Mexico |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Earl was the deadliest Atlantic hurricane to impact Mexico since Hurricane Stan in 2005. The fifth named storm and second hurricane of the 2016 Atlantic hurricane season, Earl formed from a tropical wave south of Jamaica on August 2. The precursor to Earl brought torrential rainfall and flooding to the Lesser Antilles. Upon classification, the storm moved westward through the Caribbean Sea, brushing the north coast of Honduras. Earl strengthened into an 85 mph (140 km/h) hurricane before making landfall on Belize on August 4. It weakened while moving across the Yucatán Peninsula, but reintensified in the Bay of Campeche and followed the coastline. On August 6, Earl dissipated after moving ashore Veracruz.
Prior to Earl becoming a tropical cyclone, 13 people died in storm-related incidents across the Dominican Republic. Striking Belize as a Category 1, the hurricane caused extensive damage; losses to agriculture exceeded US$100 million. Heavy rain in Mexico triggered many landslides, several of which proved fatal in the states of Puebla, Hidalgo, and Veracruz; at least 81 people died in the country. Lesser effects were felt in neighboring countries in Central America. Despite the high death toll from the storm, the name Earl was not retired.