Hurricane Greta–Olivia

A tropical wave exited the west coast of Africa near Dakar, Senegal on September 7. Moving westward across the Atlantic Ocean, the wave spawned an area of convection three days later, which gradually organized. On September 13, the wave moved through the Windward Islands, producing wind gusts of on Barbados. Later that day, it is estimated the system developed into a tropical depression about west-northwest of Trinidad, based on ship and land reports. Though located in a climatologically unfavorable area, the depression intensified and continued to develop. A hurricane hunter on September 14 indicated that the depression intensified into Tropical Storm Greta to the north of the Netherlands Antilles. After becoming a tropical storm, Greta intensified slowly due to a strong trough to the northwest, With a ridge to the north along the 30th parallel, the storm moved quickly west-northwestward across the Caribbean. On September 16, Greta intensified into a hurricane about south of Jamaica. The NHC described the eye as having "literally ricocheted off of the protruding northeast coast of Honduras", thus sparing much of the country from the strongest winds. At 0710 UTC on September 18, the Hurricane hunters observed a minimum pressure of just off the northern Honduras coast, which was the basis for the estimated peak intensity of . This made it a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir–Simpson scale. After passing through the Bay Islands off northern Honduras, The calm of the eye was reported for three to five minutes there. Rapidly weakening over land, the hurricane deteriorated to tropical depression status over Guatemala within 12 hours of landfall. A large high pressure area from the Carolinas to the central Gulf of Mexico turned Greta southwestward toward the eastern Pacific Ocean. At 00:00 UTC on September 20, the Eastern Pacific Hurricane Center (EPHC) took over responsibility for issuing advisories while Greta was from the coast. Soon after, the depression emerged over the warm waters of the eastern Pacific and re-intensified. At 06:00 UTC, the depression re-attained tropical storm status and named Olivia by the EPHC, becoming one of only fourteen named storms to maintain tropical cyclone status during the crossover. After initially moving to the north, Olivia began executing a slow counterclockwise loop. Based on observations from nearby ships and radar, it is estimated Olivia attained minimal hurricane status early on September 22. While tracking towards the Mexican coastline, the system weakened below hurricane threshold; between 19:00 and 20:00 UTC, Olivia made landfall about east of Salina Cruz. Early on September 23, Olivia dissipated over the Mexican state of Chiapas. ==Impact==

Early in its duration, Greta produced heavy rainfall in the Netherlands Antilles, but the strongest winds remained north of the island. and on September 18 a hurricane warning was issued for the Belize and Guatemala coastlines. These advanced warnings helped reduce fatalities. The Honduran government put its military, police, and Red Cross on standby in advance of the storm, due to fears of a repeat of Hurricane Fifi in 1974. However, unlike Fifi, which caused deadly floods in the region four years prior and took a similar track, Greta did not cause as significant river flooding in Honduras. In Puerto Lempira, roughly 1,500 of the town's 7,000 residents sought refuge in five large structures during the storm. In twelve communities along the coastline, military officials reported that 656 homes were destroyed, of which 278 were in Punta Potuca. In the offshore Bay Islands, the hurricane destroyed 26 houses on Guanaja, where many roofs were lost and several boats were destroyed. On nearby Roatán, about 75% of the houses lost their roofs after experiencing wind gusts of . There was one death in Honduras, At Greta's final landfall in Belize, the highest sustained winds were in Belize City, On the offshore Ambergris Caye, winds reached , and there was heavy rainfall. On Half Moon Caye, the hurricane damaged the base of a lighthouse and knocked over several coconut trees. On the mainland, storm tides in Dangriga were above normal, which did not cause much flooding. Tides were above normal in Belize City, There was little damage in the city, During the storm, the Belize International Airport was closed. Farther inland, strong winds caused heavy damage at Guanacaste National Park. Damage throughout Belize was estimated at $25 million (1978 USD), and there were four deaths. ==Aftermath==

Following the storm damage in Honduras, the country requested help from the United States. The Tactical Air Command had sent two squadrons to Central America in the middle of 1978, and in response to the request from Honduras, two aircraft delivered over of cots, water, and generators; the units also deployed a 13–person crew who specialized in disaster relief. The aid was distributed by the Military of Honduras. Despite the hurricane damage, the economy of Belize continued to grow after Greta struck, including an increase in banana production. On account of the damage caused by the hurricane in the Atlantic basin, the name Greta was retired in the spring of 1979 by the regional hurricane committee of the World Meteorological Organization. It will never again be used to name a tropical system in the basin. ==See also==