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.
| Category 2 hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
 Hurricane Fifi at peak intensity just north of Honduras on September 18 | |
| Formed | September 14, 1974 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | September 24, 1974 |
| Highest winds | 1-minute sustained: 110 mph (175 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 971 mbar (hPa); 28.67 inHg |
| Fatalities | ≥8,210 total (Third-deadliest Atlantic hurricane) |
| Damage | $1.8 billion (1974 USD) |
| Areas affected | Puerto 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.
Fifi’s path
Orlene’s path
Hurricane Fifi–Orlene Media
Hurricane Orlene on September 23 just prior to its landfall upon northwest Mexico
Radar image of Hurricane Fifi nearing landfall in Belize
Storm total rainfall for Fifi/Orlene in Mexico
