ATLANTIC & PACIFIC HURRICANE ACTIVITY & PREDICTIONS 2014

 

1980 - 2005 Atlantic tropical storms and its impact on Central America

 

The above graph depicts the paths of tropical storms originating in the North Atlantic basin for the 26 year period from 1980 to 2005. 

There are seven countries in Central America:  Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama.  Of the seven only Panama is free of hurricanes due to the fact that the country lies just below the hurricane belt which is traditionally above 11 degrees latitude north of the equator.  Panama lies around the 9 degree latitude mark and is also strategically shielded by the North and South American continents.