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Hurricane Hattie was a powerful Category 5 hurricane that hit Central America on Halloween during the 1961 Atlantic hurricane season. It caused millions of US dollars in damages and killed around 275 people. Hattie is the only hurricane on record to have earned three names (Hattie, Simone, Inga) while crossing into different basins twice.

Storm path

Hattie swept across the Caribbean and came ashore in the town of Belize City, British Honduras (now Belize), on October 31. It was a strong Category 4 hurricane at landfall, having weakened from a Category 5 just offshore. After making landfall, its remnants crossed over into the Pacific and attained tropical storm status again under the name Simone. In a remarkable turn of events, after Simone itself made landfall, its remnants crossed back over to the Gulf of Mexico, where the storm became Tropical Storm Inga before dissipating. However, it is debatable whether Inga in fact formed from the remnants of Simone at all.

Hattie held Category 5 intensity on the dates of October 30 and October 31, making it the latest Category 5 storm on record in the Atlantic basin.

Heavy rains fell across the Cayman Islands and Central America. Reports were scant from the region, but Grand Cayman reported 11.5 inches of rain in 24 hours, with 7.8 inches falling in the six hour period between 1 am and 7 am LT ^[1]. Hattie destroyed parts of British Honduras, and killed an estimated 275 people ^[2]. In the days after the storm, throngs of survivors numbering in the thousands roamed the streets for days digging about in the crumbled ruins in search of any kind of food. Hattie also caused about $60 million (1961 US dollars) in damage. Hattie damaged Belize City badly enough to force the government to relocate to a new capital further inland: its present location in Belmopan. Some permanent towns, such as Hattieville, were formed from temporary shelters built for those made homeless by the hurricane.

Violence broke out in the aftermath of the storm, causing the British frigate, HMS Troubridge, to land 125 officers and men to aid colony police in halting widespread looting and pillaging.

See also: List of retired Atlantic hurricanes

The name Hattie was retired the following year and will never be used by an Atlantic hurricane again. It was replaced by Holly in 1965.

Tropical cyclones Portal

• List of notable Atlantic hurricanes
• List of notable tropical cyclones
• List of Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes

1. ^ Preliminary Report: Hurricane Hattie: Page 7
2. ^ The Deadliest Atlantic Tropical Cyclones, 1492-1996

• Hattie Preliminary Report
• Inga Preliminary Report