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
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Orlene’s path
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