Click here to print
Real Risk Of Weather System Is Flooding
Fri, October 18, 2024
But whether it is a storm or a depression or just a potential cyclone at landfall - the rainfall will be significant over a large area. We're already experiencing the outer bands of the system tonight and tomorrow it will likely be steady rain for hours.

Currently, there are no flash flood advisories, but that could change - the Chief Hydrologist explains:

Tennielle Hendy, Chief Hydrologist
"In the north, similar to yesterday, we are seeing elevated river levels. In the central, we are seeing the same. And as well in the South. The forecast in terms of soil moisture that we're seeing right now, it's very high in the west of the country, Maya Mountains going to the coast."

"In terms of any potential landslide threats, we are not seeing any at this time. But that is highly dependent on the rainfall activity, its intensity, and where it occurs. In terms of flash flooding. Because I know this will be a question that will be brought up, at this current run model run that we're doing. We're not seeing any immediate threats within the next six hours. However, we reiterate that these are models and they are run in a specific time scale, time period. And so this will be updated later today. And as well over the weekend. The flash flood risk in the first 12 hours is not, a positive one. However, within the 24 under 36 hour window, that risk increases to a very medium high potential for flash flooding."

"And it's, as we normally know, in the west of the country, in the south. And now we're seeing in the north, For flooding. We're seeing right now that the Rio Hondo, the new River, portions of the Belize River are forecasted to have flood levels."

"The excessive rainfall amounts stated by the chief from MET, expecting 4 to 8in, modestly over the next three day period, look out for flooding conditions. We know that there are certain areas, especially in Belize City with one hour of intense rainfall, we have flooding conditions, as we experienced earlier this week. So it will, the environment will be conducive for this type of flooding to occur. In collaboration with the riverine flooding. They both are great contributors to the flooding conditions."

Close this window