Hurricane Francelia
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Hurricane Francelia was the deadliest hurricane of the 1969 Atlantic hurricane season after causing significant flooding to
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, especially
Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
and
Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...
. The sixth named storm and fourth hurricane of the season, Francelia developed from a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
in the southeastern
Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...
on August 29. It moved west-northwestward and strengthened into a tropical storm on the following day. On September 1, Francelia reached hurricane status, shortly before re-curving west-southwest. While approaching
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, the storm intensified and peaked as a Category 2 hurricane on September 2. Francelia weakened slightly before making landfall near
Punta Gorda, Belize Punta Gorda, declared a town on Monday, 21 January 1895, known locally as P.G., is the capital and largest town of Toledo District in southern Belize. Punta Gorda is the southernmost sizable town in the nation, with a population of about 5,000 p ...
(then
British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973
) late on September 3. The storm quickly weakened inland and dissipated by the following day. During its early stages, Francelia brought gusty winds and light rainfall to several islands in the Caribbean Sea. While remaining nearly stationary offshore Central America, heavy precipitation fell in some countries, especially Guatemala where severe flooding killed 269 people and caused $15 million in damage. In neighboring Honduras, the hurricane struck after the undeclared
Football War The Football War (), also known as the Soccer War or the 100 Hour War, was a brief military conflict fought between El Salvador and Honduras in 1969. Existing tensions between the two countries coincided with rioting during a 1970 FIFA World ...
, causing additional damage in the northern portions of the country. Damage in Honduras was heaviest on the offshore Bay Islands, and the hurricane damaged or destroyed the majority of two towns there. In El Salvador, flooding isolated towns for several days and caused crop damage. Several rivers in the region flooded, with the Belize River reaching above normal. Coastal areas of Belize lost electricity and telephone service, and high winds resulted in extensive damage to banana crops. Francelia ranked as the deadliest tropical cyclone in Guatemala, until
Hurricane Mitch Hurricane Mitch was an extremely deadly and catastrophic Atlantic hurricane, which became the second-deadliest tropical cyclone in the Atlantic basin on record. Mitch caused 11,374 fatalities in Central America in 1998, including approximately ...
in 1998. Overall damage was estimated at $35.6 million, and there were 271 deaths.


Meteorological history

The origins of Hurricane Francelia were from a
tropical wave A tropical wave (also called easterly wave, tropical easterly wave, and African easterly wave), in and around the Atlantic Ocean, is a type of atmospheric trough, an elongated area of relatively low air pressure, oriented north to south, which ...
– an elongated
low pressure area In meteorology, a low-pressure area (LPA), low area or low is a region where the atmospheric pressure is lower than that of surrounding locations. It is the opposite of a high-pressure area. Low-pressure areas are commonly associated with inclem ...
– that exited the western coast of Africa on August 19. It moved westward across the tropical Atlantic Ocean, and the annual summary of 1969 tropical cyclone activity indicated there may have been a tropical depression – a cyclone with sustained winds of less – briefly located within the system. On August 26, an area of
convection Convection is single or Multiphase flow, multiphase fluid flow that occurs Spontaneous process, spontaneously through the combined effects of material property heterogeneity and body forces on a fluid, most commonly density and gravity (see buoy ...
, or thunderstorms, developed along the wave, about east of
Barbados Barbados, officially the Republic of Barbados, is an island country in the Atlantic Ocean. It is part of the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies and the easternmost island of the Caribbean region. It lies on the boundary of the South American ...
. A
Hurricane Hunters Hurricane hunters, typhoon hunters, or cyclone hunters are aircrews that fly into tropical cyclones to gather weather data. In the United States, the organizations that fly these missions are the United States Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather ...
flight two days later reported no low-level circulation. As the system moved through the southern
Lesser Antilles The Lesser Antilles is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, forming part of the West Indies in Caribbean, Caribbean region of the Americas. They are distinguished from the larger islands of the Greater Antilles to the west. They form an arc w ...
, ship and land observations suggested a circulation had developed, signalling the formation of a tropical depression in the extreme southeastern Caribbean Sea early on August 29. The new tropical cyclone moved quickly west-northwestward away from South America, and on August 30 reconnaissance aircraft recorded winds of . Based on the observation, the depression was upgraded to tropical storm status and given the name Francelia. Strengthening continued to near hurricane-force, but the fast-moving circulation outran the convection, causing brief weakening as it passed south of Jamaica. Although initially forecast to continue to the west-northwest, Francelia slowed and turned to the west-southwest on September 1 due to a
ridge A ridge is a long, narrow, elevated geomorphologic landform, structural feature, or a combination of both separated from the surrounding terrain by steep sides. The sides of a ridge slope away from a narrow top, the crest or ridgecrest, wi ...
to its north. Concurrently, the storm intensified into hurricane status after its winds reached , and late on September 1 Francelia passed over Swan Island. During its passage, an atmospheric sounding occurred in its
eye An eye is a sensory organ that allows an organism to perceive visual information. It detects light and converts it into electro-chemical impulses in neurons (neurones). It is part of an organism's visual system. In higher organisms, the ey ...
; a sounding is a measurement of the physical properties of the atmosphere, and the process had only occurred four times previously. Hurricane Francelia continued west-southwestward toward the northern coast of Central America, strengthening significantly despite its proximity to land. A Hurricane Hunters flight on September 2 reported winds of and a minimum pressure of as the hurricane crossed over the Bay Islands, only off the coast of Honduras. Francelia weakened slightly as its forward movement slowed, but it remained a hurricane as it approached land, based on confirmation from ship reports. Late on September 3, the hurricane made landfall with winds estimated at , just north of Punta Gorda in southern
Belize Belize is a country on the north-eastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a maritime boundary with Honduras to the southeast. P ...
, then known as
British Honduras British Honduras was a Crown colony on the east coast of Central America — specifically located on the southern edge of the Yucatan Peninsula from 1783 to 1964, then a self-governing colony — renamed Belize from June 1973
. Tropical storm force winds spread across the country, although hurricane-force winds occurred only in a small area near where the hurricane made landfall. Francelia weakened quickly over land, dissipating late on September 4 over Guatemala. The system continued slowly across Central America, crossing into the eastern Pacific Ocean three days after it moved ashore. On September 8, the remnants of Francelia redeveloped into Tropical Storm Glenda off the coast of Mexico, which moved parallel to the southwest Mexican coast before dissipating on September 12.


Impact

As a developing tropical cyclone, Francelia brought gusty winds to several islands across the eastern Caribbean. A few days later, it passed south of Jamaica, and winds of around were recorded, and there was heavy rainfall. Shortly thereafter, the eye of Francelia crossed over
Grand Cayman Grand Cayman is the largest of the three Cayman Islands and the location of the territory's capital, George Town, Cayman Islands, George Town. In relation to the other two Cayman Islands, it is approximately 75 miles (121 km) southwest of L ...
, producing in a 16‑hour period. On Swan Island, located about offshore Honduras, Francelia produced peak winds of . A station on the island recorded a minimum pressure of , as well as of rainfall during the storm's passage. Before Francelia made its final landfall, the
National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...
(NHC) issued warnings for countries in the western Caribbean, although there were few observations confirming the track while it was active due to inadequate regional weather stations and lack of the Hurricane Hunters close to land. When Francelia nearly stalled off the coast of
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
, it brought prolonged rainfall and extensive flooding. In Guatemala, daily rainfall reached at a station along the Achiguate River, and totals reached about in some mountainous areas. Along the Belizean coast, the hurricane produced a storm tide of about . Mountain rainfall resulted in overflown rivers, with the Belize River rising to over above normal. The hurricane forced over 20,000 people to evacuate their homes. Offshore northern Honduras, the Bay Islands experienced heavy rainfall and high tides from the hurricane. Most of the houses in French Harbor were damaged or destroyed, leaving 400 families homeless. About half of the town of Coxen Hole on
Roatán Roatán () is an island in the Caribbean, about off the northern coast of Honduras. The largest of the Bay Islands Department, Bay Islands of Honduras, it is located between the islands of Utila and Guanaja. It is approximately long, and le ...
was destroyed, and the rest of the buildings were damaged. Damage was less severe on Útila and
Guanaja Guanaja is one of the Bay Islands Department, Bay Islands of Honduras and is in the Caribbean. It is about off the north coast of Honduras, and from the island of Roatan. One of the cays off Guanaja, also called Guanaja or Bonacca or Low Cay ...
islands. Francelia flooded most of the northern coast of Honduras, inundating the airport in
San Pedro Sula San Pedro Sula () is the capital of Cortés Department, Honduras. It is located in the northwest corner of the country in the Sula Valley, about 50 kilometers (31 miles) south of Puerto Cortés on the Caribbean Sea. With a population of 701, ...
to a depth of . In San Pedro Sula, the storm cut the water supply for several days, and the floods cut road and rail links between there and Puerto Cortés along the coast. Across the region, Francelia caused widespread power outages. Along the
Ulúa River The Ulúa River (, ) is a river in western Honduras. It rises in the central mountainous area of the country close to La Paz and runs approximately due northwards to the east end of the Gulf of Honduras at . En route, it is joined by the Sula ...
, several residents were stranded when their cars stalled in flooded roadways. The floods wrecked four bridges on a road between
La Lima La Lima is a city, with a population of 80,740 (2023 calculation),Citypopulation.de
Population of the major ...
and
Tela Tela is a town, with a population of 39,920 (2023 calculation), and a municipality in Honduras on the northern Caribbean coast. It is located in the Atlántida department, department of Atlantida. History Colonial era Tela was founded by th ...
. Flooding also ruined over 50% of the
United Fruit Company The United Fruit Company (later the United Brands Company) was an American multinational corporation that traded in tropical fruit (primarily bananas) grown on Latin American plantations and sold in the United States and Europe. The company was ...
's banana crop, forcing over to be replaced. Banana damage totaled $4.7 million, and United Fruit estimated it would take two years to reach production levels before the hurricane. Other damaged crops included corn, sugar, coconut, and bean. Nationwide, the hurricane destroyed about 1,000 houses, leaving 5,000 people homeless. Damage was estimated at $19 million. In neighboring Guatemala, Francelia caused
flash flood A flash flood is a rapid flooding of low-lying areas: washes, rivers, dry lakes and depressions. It may be caused by heavy rain associated with a severe thunderstorm, hurricane, or tropical storm, or by meltwater from ice and snow. Flash f ...
ing along the Pacific coast due to the heavy rainfall. The rains overflowed rivers, canals, and the crater lake of
Volcán de Agua Volcán de Agua (also known as Junajpú by Maya) is an extinct stratovolcano located in the departments of Sacatepéquez and Escuintla in Guatemala. At , Agua Volcano towers more than above the Pacific coastal plain to the south and above t ...
, causing widespread landslides. The floods and landslides wrecked highways, rail lines, and many boats, leaving several towns isolated. A portion of the
Pan-American Highway The Pan-American Highway is a vast network of roads that stretches about 30,000 kilometers (about 19,000 miles) from Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, in the northernmost part of North America to Ushuaia, Argentina, at the southern tip of South America. I ...
was washed out in the country's western portion, and another bridge was destroyed by a landslide between
Quetzaltenango Quetzaltenango (, also known by its Maya name Xelajú or Xela ) is a municipality and namesake department in western Guatemala. The city is located in a mountain valley at an elevation of above sea level at its lowest part. It may reach above ...
and
Huehuetenango Huehuetenango () is a city and municipality in the highlands of western Guatemala. It is also the capital of the department of Huehuetenango. The city is situated from Guatemala City, and is the last departmental capital on the Pan-American Hi ...
; landslides also forced the closure of two roads in
Quiché Department Quiché () is a department of Guatemala. It is in the heartland of the Kʼicheʼ (Quiché) people, one of the Maya peoples, to the north-west of Guatemala City. The capital is Santa Cruz del Quiché. The word Kʼicheʼ comes from the languag ...
. In
Amatitlán Amatitlán () is a town, with a population of 98,176 (2018 census),Citypopulation.de
Population of cities & t ...
, the floods covered the entire town with mud to shoulder-height. Five entire towns were largely destroyed, leaving 10,200 people homeless nationwide. Francelia destroyed 1,704 houses, mostly along rivers and in landslide zones. The floods also damaged power lines and crops. Throughout the country, the hurricane killed 269 people and caused $15 million in damage. Francelia's rainfall extended into El Salvador, where about 1,000 homes were flooded along the Lempa River. Isolated residents along the Paz River required food to be airdropped. The floods damaged corn and sorghum crops, and some livestock were killed. Francelia destroyed 42 houses in El Salvador, destroyed a bridge, and caused $1.6 million in damage. The hurricane killed two people and injured 40 others. Heavy damage also occurred along the Belize coast, and communications were cut. The storm caused extensive damage to crops, including heavy losses to the banana industry. High waves and heavy rainfall caused power outages and flooded coastal roadways.


Aftermath

By September 5, or two days after the hurricane's landfall, floods were receding across Honduras, and flights were restored to the Bay Islands. Floods receded a day later in Guatemala and not until September 9 in El Salvador. Shortly after Francelia struck the Bay Islands, the Honduran health ministry flew a doctor and nurse with medical supplies to the islands. Undamaged boats were used to transport people and supplies to the islands, utilizing relief goods intended for the recovery after a
war War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organi ...
earlier in 1969. In Guatemala, the president organized the National Emergency Committee to coordinate disaster relief, but after few organizations complied, there was duplicate relief work in some areas and no assistance in other areas. The Guatemalan Red Cross and the country's air force and army helped in the relief efforts. Citizens throughout the country donated over $200,000 worth of food and clothing. The government made widespread road and bridge repairs following the floods with the assistance of the United States, installing two
Bailey bridge A Bailey bridge is a type of portable, Prefabrication, pre-fabricated, Truss Bridge, truss bridge. It was developed in 1940–1941 by the British Empire in World War II, British for military use during the World War II, Second World War and saw ...
s that were completed by early November; there were delays installing the bridges due to persistent unsettled weather. The United States ultimately provided $281,659 in aid to the country, mostly through the road reconstruction and C-rations. Other countries and Red Cross chapters sent money to Guatemala, including 10 tons of medicine from Brazil, 500 blankets from Chile, and 200 bottles of snake bite serum from Costa Rica. El Salvador also received assistance from the United States, including food and blankets.


See also

* List of Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes * 1931 British Honduras hurricane – A destructive Category 4 hurricane that became the deadliest storm to ever strike Belize * Hurricane Greta–Olivia (1978) – A deadly, crossover Category 4 hurricane that took similar path and caused catastrophic damage


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Francelia 1969 Atlantic hurricane season Category 2 Atlantic hurricanes Hurricanes in Belize Hurricanes in Guatemala Hurricanes in Honduras