Hurricane Fifi–Orlene

Hurricane Fifi (later known as Hurricane Orlene) was a catastrophic tropical cyclone that killed over 8,210 people in Honduras in September 1974 , ranking it as the third deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, only behind Hurricane Mitch in 1998, and the 1780 hurricane.

Hurricane Fifi–Orlene
Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS)
Low-resolution satellite image of a tropical cyclone to the east of Central America
Hurricane Fifi at peak intensity just north of Honduras on September 18
FormedSeptember 14, 1974
DissipatedSeptember 24, 1974
Highest winds1-minute sustained: 110 mph (175 km/h)
Lowest pressure971 mbar (hPa); 28.67 inHg
Fatalities≥8,210 total
(Third-deadliest Atlantic hurricane)
Damage$1.8 billion (1974 USD)
Areas affectedPuerto Rico, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Belize, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico
Part of the 1974 Atlantic and
Pacific hurricane seasons

At the time that it hit, Fifi was the worst natural disaster to ever hit Honduras. It formed off the coast of Jamaica and made landfall as a Category 2 hurricane. It then weakened significantly and became a tropical storm, and then a tropical depression. It moved into the Pacific and regained strength. Fifi was a tropical cyclone that lasted for 18 hours and was renamed Orlene. Orlene then intensified into a hurricane and reached Category 2 status. Orlene made landfall in Mexico and became extratropical over the mountains.


Storm path

Fifi’s path

 
Storm path

Orlene’s path



Hurricane Fifi–Orlene Media