Editing Geography of Belize (section)

==Climate==

[[File:Koppen-Geiger_Map_v2_BLZ_1991–2020.svg|thumb|Köppen climate classification zones of Belize.]]

Belize has a tropical climate with pronounced wet and dry seasons, although there are significant variations in weather patterns by region.<ref name=":9" /> Temperatures vary according to elevation, proximity to the coast, and the moderating effects of the northeast trade winds off the Caribbean.<ref name=":9" /> Average temperatures in the coastal regions range from {{convert|24|°C}} in January to {{convert|27|°C}} in July.<ref name=":9" /> Temperatures are slightly higher inland, except for the southern highland plateaus, such as the Mountain Pine Ridge, where it is noticeably cooler year round.<ref name=":9" /> Overall, the seasons are marked more by differences in humidity and rainfall than in temperature.<ref name=":9" />

Average rainfall varies considerably, ranging from {{convert|1350|mm|in|1|sp=us}} in the north and west to over {{convert|4500|mm|in|1|sp=us}} in the extreme south.<ref name=":9" /> Seasonal differences in rainfall are greatest in the northern and central regions of the country where, between January and April or May, fewer than {{convert|100|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of rain fall per month.<ref name=":9" /> The dry season is shorter in the south, normally only lasting from February to April.<ref name=":9" /> A shorter, less rainy period, known locally as the "little dry," usually occurs in late July or August, after the initial onset of the rainy season.<ref name=":9" />

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Belmopan (1991–2020)
|single line = Yes
|metric first = Yes
|collapsed = Yes 
|Jan high C = 28.2
|Feb high C = 29.7
|Mar high C = 31.2
|Apr high C = 33.5
|May high C = 34.1
|Jun high C = 32.7
|Jul high C = 32.2
|Aug high C = 32.6
|Sep high C = 32.5
|Oct high C = 31.2
|Nov high C = 29.4
|Dec high C = 28.6
|year high C = 31.3
|Jan mean C = 23.7
|Feb mean C = 24.4
|Mar mean C = 25.5
|Apr mean C = 27.6
|May mean C = 28.6
|Jun mean C = 28.3
|Jul mean C = 27.7
|Aug mean C = 27.9
|Sep mean C = 27.9
|Oct mean C = 26.8
|Nov mean C = 25.1
|Dec mean C = 24.2
|year mean C = 26.5
|Jan low C = 19.1
|Feb low C = 19.2
|Mar low C = 19.8
|Apr low C = 21.7
|May low C = 23.1
|Jun low C = 23.8
|Jul low C = 23.3
|Aug low C = 23.2
|Sep low C = 23.2
|Oct low C = 22.5
|Nov low C = 20.7
|Dec low C = 19.8
|year low C = 21.6
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 135.2
|Feb rain mm = 51.3
|Mar rain mm = 48.5
|Apr rain mm = 41.4
|May rain mm = 119.3
|Jun rain mm = 259.9
|Jul rain mm = 245.3
|Aug rain mm = 226.1
|Sep rain mm = 221.8
|Oct rain mm = 244.2
|Nov rain mm = 201.9
|Dec rain mm = 134.9
|year rain mm =
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 11
|Feb rain days = 6
|Mar rain days = 5
|Apr rain days = 3
|May rain days = 7
|Jun rain days = 14
|Jul rain days = 16
|Aug rain days = 14
|Sep rain days = 15
|Oct rain days = 14
|Nov rain days = 13
|Dec rain days = 13
|Jan sun = 170.5
|Feb sun = 189.3
|Mar sun = 241.8
|Apr sun = 255.0
|May sun = 248.0
|Jun sun = 189.0
|Jul sun = 201.5
|Aug sun = 207.7
|Sep sun = 171.0
|Oct sun = 182.9
|Nov sun = 165.0
|Dec sun = 150.0
|year sun = 
|Jand sun = 5.5
|Febd sun = 6.7
|Mard sun = 7.8
|Aprd sun = 8.5
|Mayd sun = 8.0
|Jund sun = 6.3
|Juld sun = 6.5
|Augd sun = 6.7
|Sepd sun = 5.7
|Octd sun = 5.9
|Novd sun = 5.5
|Decd sun = 5.0
|yeard sun = 6.5
|source 1 = National Meteorological Service of Belize (sun 1981–2010)<ref name=BelmopanNMS>{{cite web
| url = http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/
| title = Climatology Information for a few stations across Belize
| publisher = National Meteorological Service of Belize
| access-date = 6 January 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106220633/http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/
| archive-date = 6 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web
| url = http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/past_data_1981-2010.php
| title = Climatology Information for a few stations across Belize
| publisher = National Meteorological Service of Belize
| access-date = 6 January 2022
| url-status = dead
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106221452/http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/past_data_1981-2010.php
| archive-date = 6 January 2022
| df = dmy-all
}}</ref>
|date=November 2011
}}

{{Weather box
|width = auto
|location = Belize City 1991–2020, extremes 1866–present 
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|collapsed = Yes
|Jan record high C = 34.2
|Feb record high C = 34.7
|Mar record high C = 37.3
|Apr record high C = 37.0
|May record high C = 37.0
|Jun record high C = 35.7
|Jul record high C = 33.8
|Aug record high C = 35.0
|Sep record high C = 35.3
|Oct record high C = 34.0
|Nov record high C = 33.3
|Dec record high C = 34.0
|year record high C = 37.3
|Jan high C = 27.9
|Feb high C = 28.8
|Mar high C = 29.8
|Apr high C = 31.2
|May high C = 31.9
|Jun high C = 31.7
|Jul high C = 31.5
|Aug high C = 31.8
|Sep high C = 31.8
|Oct high C = 30.6
|Nov high C = 29.2
|Dec high C = 28.3
|year high C = 30.4
|Jan mean C = 24.3
|Feb mean C = 25.2
|Mar mean C = 26.1
|Apr mean C = 27.7
|May mean C = 28.5
|Jun mean C = 28.7
|Jul mean C = 28.4
|Aug mean C = 28.5
|Sep mean C = 28.3
|Oct mean C = 27.2
|Nov mean C = 25.6
|Dec mean C = 24.7
|year mean C = 26.9
|Jan low C = 20.6
|Feb low C = 21.5
|Mar low C = 22.4
|Apr low C = 24.2
|May low C = 25.2
|Jun low C = 25.7
|Jul low C = 25.3
|Aug low C = 25.3
|Sep low C = 24.9
|Oct low C = 23.9
|Nov low C = 22.0
|Dec low C = 21.2
|year low C = 23.5
|Jan record low C = 11.0
|Feb record low C = 11.5
|Mar record low C = 10.9
|Apr record low C = 15.0
|May record low C = 19.0
|Jun record low C = 20.8
|Jul record low C = 20.7
|Aug record low C = 21.0
|Sep record low C = 19.3
|Oct record low C = 16.1
|Nov record low C = 14.4
|Dec record low C = 12.0
|year record low C = 10.9
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 141.4
|Feb rain mm = 64.7
|Mar rain mm = 41.0
|Apr rain mm = 58.0
|May rain mm = 131.8
|Jun rain mm = 236.4
|Jul rain mm = 180.2
|Aug rain mm = 195.0
|Sep rain mm = 229.8
|Oct rain mm = 305.5
|Nov rain mm = 235.8
|Dec rain mm = 150.9
|year rain mm = 
|unit rain days = 1.0 mm
|Jan rain days = 10
|Feb rain days = 6
|Mar rain days = 4
|Apr rain days = 4
|May rain days = 7
|Jun rain days = 12
|Jul rain days = 14
|Aug rain days = 14
|Sep rain days = 16
|Oct rain days = 16
|Nov rain days = 13
|Dec rain days = 12
|year rain days = 
|Jan humidity = 83
|Feb humidity = 82
|Mar humidity = 79
|Apr humidity = 77
|May humidity = 79
|Jun humidity = 82
|Jul humidity = 83
|Aug humidity = 84
|Sep humidity = 84
|Oct humidity = 83
|Nov humidity = 84
|Dec humidity = 84
|year humidity = 82
|Jan sun = 199
|Feb sun = 203
|Mar sun = 239
|Apr sun = 256
|May sun = 257
|Jun sun = 197
|Jul sun = 226
|Aug sun = 237
|Sep sun = 178
|Oct sun = 196
|Nov sun = 180
|Dec sun = 190
|year sun = 2558
|source 1 = National Meteorological Service of Belize,<ref name = belizecityNMS >{{cite web
| url = http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/
| title = Climatology Information for a few stations across Belize
| publisher = National Meteorological Service of Belize
| access-date = 6 January 2022
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220106220633/http://nms.gov.bz/climate-services/climatology/
| archive-date = 6 January 2022}}</ref> Meteo Climat (record highs and lows)<ref name = meteoclimatbelizecity>
{{cite web 
| url = http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/index.php?page=stati&id=1506
| title = Station Philip Goldson
| publisher = Meteo Climat 
| language = fr 
| access-date = 6 November 2016}}</ref>
|source 2 = [[Deutscher Wetterdienst]] (sun, 1961–1990, humidity 1975–1989)<ref name = belizecityDWD>
{{cite web
| url = http://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_785830_kt.pdf
| title = Klimatafel von Belize City (Int. Flugh.) / Belize
| work = Baseline climate means (1961-1990) from stations all over the world
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| language = de
| access-date = 24 January 2016}}</ref><ref name = DWDsunbelizecity>{{cite web
| url = ftp://ftp-cdc.dwd.de/pub/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/multi_annual/sunshine_duration/1961_1990.txt
| title = Station 78583: Belize/Phillip Goldston INTL. Airport
| work = Global station data 1961–1990—Sunshine Duration
| publisher = Deutscher Wetterdienst
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195327/ftp://ftp-cdc.dwd.de/pub/CDC/observations_global/CLIMAT/multi_annual/sunshine_duration/1961_1990.txt
| archive-date = 2017-10-17
| url-status = dead
| access-date = July 9, 2015
}}</ref>{{efn|[https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195318/ftp://ftp-cdc.dwd.de/pub/CDC/help/stations_list_CLIMAT_data.txt Station ID for Belize/Phillip Goldston INTL. Airport is 78583] Use this station ID to locate the sunshine duration}}
|date=August 2010
}}

=== Hurricanes ===
Hurricanes have played a devastating role in Belizean history.<ref name=":9" /> In 1931 an unnamed hurricane destroyed over two-thirds of the buildings in Belize City and killed more than 1,000 people.<ref name=":9" /> In 1955 [[Hurricane Janet]] leveled the northern town of Corozal.<ref name=":9" /> Six years later, [[Hurricane Hattie]] struck the central coastal area of the country, with winds in excess of {{convert|300|km/h|mph|0|sp=us}} and {{convert|4|m|ft|1|adj=on|sp=us}} storm tides.<ref name=":9" /> The devastation of Belize City for the second time in thirty years prompted the relocation of the capital some {{convert|80|km|mi|0|sp=us}} inland to the planned city of [[Belmopan]].<ref name=":9" /> A hurricane that devastated Belize was [[Hurricane Greta-Olivia|Hurricane Greta]], which caused more than US$25 million in damages along the southern coast in 1978.<ref name=":9" />

There was a period of 20 years that Belize was considered as a hurricane-free zone by many{{Citation needed|date=December 2024}} until [[Hurricane Mitch]] (October 1998) gave rise to hurricane awareness and the National Emergency Management Organization (NEMO). One year later [[Hurricane Keith]] hit Belize, followed the following year by [[Tropical Storm Chantal (2001)|Tropical Storm Chantal]].

In 2001, [[Hurricane Iris]] swept through the southern part of Belize causing damage that ranged in the hundreds of millions due largely to wiping away the [[banana]] industry, crippling the [[citrus]] and tourism in the area. Six years later, the fury of [[Hurricane Dean|Category Five Dean]] landed on the Yucatán coast at Mahahual and Corozal in northern Belize, was not spared the brunt of reportedly Category 3 to 4 winds. Hurricane Dean did tens of millions in damages, especially to the infantile [[papaya]] industry and to a lesser extent to the endemic [[sugar cane]] industry.

[[File:Mountain Pine Ridge Uploaded on November 28, 2007 by tomeppy (cropped).jpg|thumb|center|600px|The [[Mountain Pine Ridge Forest Reserve]], Belize.]]