Looking for information on historic storms named Hurricane Rina? Be careful you don’t accidentally type “Rita.”
One letter makes a huge difference between a relatively minor hurricane, in terms of impact, and a truly devastating storm.
Hurricane Rita was a massive Category 5 hurricane that killed 120 people across its impact zone in 2005.
That level of destruction qualified Rita for retirement from any future lists of named storms.
Its replacement is Hurricane Rina. As you’ll see from this article, 2011’s Hurricane Rina was a a completely different situation.
If this year’s hurricane season is sufficiently active, Tropical Storm Rina will become the 17th tropical storm of this season. When the National Weather Service begin tracking Rina, communities in its path will rely on those updates to gauge how serious an impact Rina might have in their area and what precautions they should take.
Rina might not reach hurricane status. It all depends on wind speed.
Any named storm is a form of tropical cyclone, a rotating, organized system of clouds and thunderstorms that originates over tropical or subtropical waters and has a closed low-level circulation.
Early on, as a tropical depression, the cyclone’s sustained wind speeds are less than 39 mph. Tropical depressions are not given names. Weather services track them to determine if they are growing into tropical storms or hurricanes.
Tropical Storm Rina will be announced if that cyclone’s sustained wind speed reaches 39 mph.
If that speed reaches 74 mph, Rina will be a hurricane.
Whatever status Rina carries, if it approaches your region, remember that it poses a threat to lives and property.
When Was Hurricane Rina?
When you hear of a newly named hurricane, you might wonder if there was ever another storm with that name. Perhaps you’ve asked yourself, “When did Hurricane Rina hit?” or “What year was Hurricane Rina?”
With the name “Rita” retired after 2005, “Rina” made its first appearance in 2011. (Each list of storm names recycles every six years.) Hurricane Rina was closely tracked in the northwestern Caribbean Sea in late October 2011.
Where Did Hurricane Rina Hit?
Hurricane Rina in 2011 dropped back to tropical storm status before making landfall in Quintana Roo, Mexico.
While 1999’s Hurricane Rina never reached land, Hurricane Rina reached Grand Isle, Louisiana, as a weak hurricane in 2005.
Before dissipating in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, Rina beat a path as a tropical and extratropical depression over Mississippi, Alabama, and the Carolinas.
What Category Was Hurricane Rina?
Hurricane Rina grew to a Category 3, qualifying it as a major hurricane. But its highest winds of 115 mph never made it to land, raising waves in the Caribbean north of Honduras.
What Time Will Hurricane Rina Make Landfall?
It can be interesting to research the details of major storms in history. Maybe you’ve asked, “What time did Hurricane Rina make landfall?” But the data on previous storms gives no useful information on current storms.
If a Tropical Storm Rina or Hurricane Rina makes an appearance this year, be sure you identify a safe area to reach well in advance of landfall. This article will be updated as more details about 2023’s Rina become available.
How Many People Died in Hurricane Rina?
Probably the single detail about a hurricane people research most is the resulting loss of life.
You might ask, “Did anyone die in Hurricane Rina?”
In 2011, Hurricane Rina spent most of its time over water. It’s peripheral impact on land was relatively minor, and no lives were lost.
But Tropical Storm Rina in 2017 was a different story, and a reminder of the inherent risk as one weather system breeds another. Rina itself was nearly dissipating when it transitioned into a post-tropical cyclone and took a rare turn into the Mediterranean, becoming Cyclone Numa.
Severe flooding in Greece took 22 lives.
What Was the Path of Hurricane Rina?
If you have read several of the articles in this series, you’ve seen that the west coast of Africa is a common source for weather systems that can develop into Atlantic hurricanes. Hurricane Rina in 2011 was no exception.
An October 9 tropical wave made its appearance near West Africa and reached the Windward Islands in the Caribbean a week later.
- • October 23 – The tropical depression that would become Hurricane Rina formed north of Providencia Island.
- • October 24 – Tropical Storm Rina was announced. Later that day, Rina reached Category 1 status.
- • October 25 – Rina climbed to Category 2 and Category 3 but began to seriously weaken the next day.
- • October 28 – By the time the weather system made landfall in Mexico, wind speeds had slowed to 60 mph.
- • October 29 – The system dissipated south of Cuba.
Convoy of Hope & Hurricanes
Since Convoy of Hope responded to its first disaster in 1998 — flooding in Del Rio, Texas, after Tropical Storm Charley — it was the beginning of a key mission for the humanitarian organization. Hurricane response continues to be an annual priority for Convoy.
The Convoy Response Process
