Hurricane Greta-Olivia
| Category 4 major hurricane (SSHWS/NWS) | |
Hurricane Greta near peak intensity in the Gulf of Honduras on October 17
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| Formed | September 13, 1978 |
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| Dissipated | September 23, 1978 |
| Highest winds |
1-minute sustained: 130 mph (215 km/h) |
| Lowest pressure | 947 mbar (hPa); 27.96 inHg |
| Fatalities | 5 direct |
| Damage | $26 million (1978 USD) |
| Areas affected | Windward Islands, Central America (particularly Honduras), Belize, Mexico |
| Part of the 1978 Atlantic and Pacific hurricane seasons |
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Hurricane Greta–Olivia was one of ten named Atlantic hurricanes to cross over Central America into the eastern Pacific while remaining a tropical cyclone. The seventh named storm of the 1978 Atlantic hurricane season, Greta formed from a tropical wave just northwest of Trinidad on September 13, and despite being in a climatologically unfavorable area, gradually intensified while moving west-northwestward. On September 16, it became a hurricane south of Jamaica. Two days later, the well-defined eye approached northeastern Honduras but veered to the northwest. After reaching peak winds of 130 mph (215 km/h) that day, Greta weakened while paralleling the northern Honduras coast just offshore. On September 19, it made landfall on Belize near Dangriga and quickly weakened into a tropical depression while crossing Guatemala and southeastern Mexico. After entering the eastern Pacific, the system re-intensified into a hurricane and was renamed Olivia, which weakened before dissipating over Chiapas on September 23.
Taking a similar path to Hurricane Fifi four years prior, Greta threatened to reproduce the devastating effects of the catastrophic storm; however, damage and loss of life was significantly less than feared. In Honduras, about 1,200 homes were damaged, about half of which in towns along the coastline. The storm damaged about 75% of the houses on Roatán along the offshore Bay Islands, and there was one death in the country. In the Belize Barrier Reef, Greta downed trees and produced high waves, while on the mainland, there was minimal flooding despite a high storm surge. In Dangriga where it made landfall, the hurricane damaged or destroyed 125 houses and the primary hospital. In Belize City, a tornado flipped over a truck and damaged four houses. Damage in Belize was estimated at $25 million (1978 USD), and there were four deaths.
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