 Hurricane Karl at peak intensity, shortly before landfall in Mexico on September 17 | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Formed | September 14, 2010 |
| Dissipated | September 18, 2010 |
| Category 3 major hurricane | |
| 1-minute sustained (SSHWS/NWS) | |
| Highest winds | 125 mph (205 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 956 mbar (hPa); 28.23 inHg |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 22 total |
| Damage | $3.9 billion (2010 USD) (Fourth-costliest in Mexican history) |
| Areas affected | Belize, Yucatán Peninsula, Veracruz |
| IBTrACS | |
Part of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Karl was the most destructive tropical cyclone on record to strike the Mexican state of Veracruz.[1] The eleventh tropical storm, sixth hurricane, and fifth and final major hurricane of the 2010 Atlantic hurricane season, Karl formed from an area of low pressure which had formed off of the northern coast of Venezuela on September 11. It crossed the Caribbean and was upgraded to Tropical Storm Karl on September 14. The cyclone made landfall on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico as a strong tropical storm, and then rapidly strengthened in the Bay of Campeche before it made landfall near the city of Veracruz, on the central Mexican Gulf coast, as a major hurricane. This marked the first known time that a major hurricane existed in the Bay of Campeche. Afterwards, the storm rapidly weakened over the mountains of Mexico and dissipated on September 18.
At least 22 people were confirmed dead, most of which were in the state of Veracruz.[2] Insured losses from the storm were estimated to be US$206 million, with total economic losses of approximately $3.9 billion.[3]
- ^ Unattributed (December 14, 2010). "Tras temporada de huracanes, recuento de daños" (in Spanish). Crónica del Poder. Archived from the original on March 21, 2012. Retrieved March 22, 2011.
- ^ Stacy R. Stewart (February 9, 2017). "Tropical Cyclone Report Hurricane Karl" (PDF). National Hurricane Center. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ Annual Global Climate and Catastrophe Report Impact Forecasting—2010 (PDF) (Report). Aon Benfield. December 2010. p. 39. Retrieved August 8, 2024.