Hurricane history: Remembering significant storms in St Vincent

St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) which comprises 32 islands and cays is at risk annually during the Atlantic Hurricane Season.  

Located in the southern Caribbean, SVG is no stranger to natural disasters as it has faced the threat of tropical storms and hurricanes over the years.  

Here are some significant historical storms which affected St Vincent and the Grenadines during the hurricane season:  

1898 Windward Islands Hurricane  

On September 11, 1898, a devastating hurricane packing winds of 110 miles per hour wreaked havoc on St Vincent and the Grenadines. According to Trove, an online database in Australia, which had a newspaper excerpt on what happened to SVG, 41,000 people out of a population of 47,700 were left without food and shelter.  

Hurricane Janet 1955  

On September 22, 1955, the eye of Hurricane Janet passed south of Barbados. On September 23, Janet passed early between Grenada and Carriacou.  

According to the National Hurricane Center’s Monthly Weather Review for Hurricanes of 1955, following the passage of Janet, fatalities in the Grenadines numbered 122. In Barbados deaths numbered 38.  

Hurricane Beulah 1967  

Beulah left behind a tale of destruction and death in the Windward Islands as it brought prolonged heavy rains. In September 1967, Beulah passed St Vincent as a Tropical Storm where it claimed two lives.  

Beulah became a hurricane on September 8. This is according to excerpts from the National Hurricane Center’s Monthly Weather Review for the Hurricanes Season of 1967.  

Hurricane Lili 2002 

St Vincent and the Grenadines felt the wrath of Lili as a Tropical Storm when it affected the Windward Islands in September 2002. The Grenadines were placed under tropical storm watch from September 22.  

In the end, Lili resulted in four deaths in St Vincent, including an infant.  

This is according to information from the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Cyclone Report for Hurricane Lili.  

Hurricane Tomas 2010 

St Vincent and the Grenadines was affected by Hurricane Tomas in October 2010. According to the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Cyclone Report for Tomas, the eye of the hurricane moved over the northern coast of St Vincent on October 30. 

While no casualties were reported, the island took a battering, with damage to St Vincent estimated at $3.3 million US dollars.  

Hurricane Matthew 2016  

On September 28, 2016, Matthew passed midway between St Lucia and St Vincent as a tropical storm. Matthew was responsible for one death in St Vincent and the Grenadines. According to the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Cyclone report for Hurricane Matthew, on St Vincent, media reports indicated that a 16-year-old boy died in the town of Layou during a rain-induced mudslide as he was cleaning a drain behind his house.