Hurricane Keith facts for kids
Keith near landfall in Belize
|
|
| Formed | September 28, 2000 |
|---|---|
| Dissipated | October 6, 2000 |
| Lowest pressure | 939 mbar (hPa); 27.73 inHg |
| Fatalities | 24 direct |
| Damage | $225 million (2000 USD) |
| Areas affected | Much of Central America, Belize, Mexico |
| Part of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season | |
Hurricane Keith was a very powerful storm during the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season. It was the strongest hurricane that year. Keith hit both Belize and Mexico before it finally ended on October 6, 2000. This hurricane caused a lot of damage, about $225 million worth. Sadly, 24 people also lost their lives because of it. Most of the damage happened in Belize because the hurricane was stronger when it hit there compared to when it reached Mexico.
How Hurricane Keith Formed and Moved
Hurricane Keith started as a tropical wave. This wave moved off the coast of Africa and into the Atlantic Ocean on September 16. It traveled across a large part of the Caribbean Sea. By September 28, this wave had grown into Tropical Depression Fifteen. The next day, on September 29, it became Tropical Storm Keith.
Keith then changed its path and started moving west. On September 30, it grew even stronger and became a hurricane. Keith quickly gained power, reaching its highest wind speed of 140 miles per hour (225 km/h) later that same day. The hurricane then got stuck and was forced to make a loop in its path.
Because Keith was so close to land, this loop made it lose a lot of its strength. On October 2, as a weaker hurricane, Keith first hit land in Ambergris Caye, Belize. The very next day, Keith made landfall again in Belize. This time it hit Belize City as a very strong tropical storm.
After moving over Belize and the Yucatán Peninsula, Keith weakened into a tropical depression. But as it moved off the peninsula and into the Gulf of Mexico, it quickly became a tropical storm once more.
On October 4, Keith became a hurricane for a second time. Hurricane Keith made its final landfall in Mexico near Tampico in Tamaulipas on October 5. Keith then weakened over Mexico until it finally disappeared on October 6.
Why Hurricane Keith's Name Was Retired
The name "Keith" was officially removed from the list of hurricane names in the spring of 2001. This happens when a hurricane causes a lot of damage or deaths, so its name is not used again to avoid confusion or to honor those affected. The name "Kirk" was put on the list in 2006 to replace Keith. However, Kirk was not used in 2006, so it was planned to be used in 2012.
|
Tropical cyclones of the 2000 Atlantic hurricane season |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Images for kids
-
Hurricane Keith near landfall in Belize on October 1
-
Damage to an airplane hangar in Belize
-
Rainfall from Keith across Mexico
-
Hurricane Keith making its final landfall in Mexico with Tropical Storm Olivia in the Pacific on October 5
.jpg)
