Major Hurricane Karl[]
| Category 3 hurricane (SSHWS) | |
  | |
| Duration | October 2 – October 12 |
|---|---|
| Peak intensity | 125 mph (205 km/h) (1-min) 967 mbar (hPa) |
Meteorological History[]
Major Hurricane Karl was a deadly Category 3 hurricane that made landfall in Nicaragua during the 2022 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Karl caused significant flooding in Nicaragua as a Tropical Storm and Tropical Depression leading to hundreds of deaths. The official death toll from Major Hurricane Karl is 657, and the damages are estimated at $1.8 billion USD. Karl had a peak 1-min sustained wind speeds of 125mph (205km/h) and a peak central pressure of 967mb. It had a lifespan of 10 days.
Track and Intensity[]
On October 2nd 2022 the NHC notice the development of a Tropical Depression just to the North of South America. The Tropical Depression moved west before intensifying into Tropical Storm Karl on October 3rd. The system made a slight movement south before continuing to move westwards towards Central America. The system rapidly intensified to category 3 strength on October 8th and briefly gained an eye before weakening again later that day back into a category 1 hurricane. Hurricane Karl weakened further into a Tropical Storm on October 9th as it continued to move westwards. On October 10th Karl made landfall in Nicaragua and 3 hours later weakened into a Tropical Depression. Karl then stalled over Central America as a Tropical Depression causing extremely significant flooding and hundreds of people to die. Karl did this for 2 days before finally dissipating after 10 days.
Retirement by the WMO[]
Due to Major Hurricane Karl's extreme damage, deadliness and notability, the WMO decided to retire the name in the Atlantic, the name will be replaced with "Kevin" for the 2028 Atlantic Hurricane Season. Nicaragua declared a state of emergency due to the catastrophic flooding and damage due to Major Hurricane Karl. So far, 176 countries have sent humanitarian aid to Nicaragua to help with the recovery effort.