Originating from a strong tropical wave on September 14, the system steadily tracked west-northwestward through the eastern Caribbean.

Maintaining hurricane intensity, Fifi brushed the northern coast of Honduras before making landfall in Belize the following day.

Most of the loss of life and damage occurred in Honduras where rainfall from the hurricane, peaking around 24 in (610 mm), triggered widespread flash flooding and mudslides.

Fifi brought continuous rainfall to the area for three days, hampering relief efforts in what was the worst disaster in Honduras' history at the time.

In nearby Guatemala, an additional 200 people were killed by severe flooding, making Fifi the worst hurricane to impact the country in nearly 20 years.

Following the catastrophic damage wrought by the storm, relief agencies from around the world flew in emergency supplies to assist the hundreds of thousands of homeless people.

[2] The NHC initially forecast the depression to continue its west-northwest track, eventually brushing Cuba,[3] although the storm never took the northerly turn.

[2] The depression continued to organize as it turned westward, and late on September 16 the system intensified into Tropical Storm Fifi while just south of Jamaica.

[1][2] As it moved due west, the storm intensified, attaining hurricane status roughly 24 hours after being named[2] following the formation of an eyewall feature.

[5] The storm turned slightly southwestward, and by September 18, Fifi reached its peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph (180 km/h) and a barometric pressure of 971 mbar (hPa; 28.67 inHg).

[7] Although earlier in the season Hurricane Carmen had attained Category 4 status in a similar location, Fifi was unable to intensify further due to its proximity to land.

[8] Fifi maintained its peak intensity for roughly 24 hours until it began to weaken shortly before making landfall near Placencia, Belize with winds of 105 mph (169 km/h).

[9] When it moved back over open waters, Fifi re-attained tropical storm status; however, it only maintained this intensity for 18 hours before being renamed Orlene.

[11] Shortly before making landfall, a small eye developed within the center of the hurricane, resulting in the NHC upgrading it to a Category 2 storm with maximum winds of 105 mph (169 km/h).

[12] Passing south of Jamaica as a tropical storm, Fifi brought heavy rains to the mountainous island, exceeding 8 in (200 mm) in some locations.

Buses driving through mountain passes skidded off the sides of cliffs due to slick roads, killing numerous people.

[19] Although by this time the storm was situated inland over Mexico, its circulation continued to produce thunderstorms over Honduras, hindering rescue efforts.

[34] The heavy precipitation led to significant flooding across the country as dozens of rivers exceeded their banks; hundreds were left homeless.

[37] As Fifi tracked over Central America, the outer fringes of the storm produced 4 in (100 mm) of rainfall as far north as Campeche.

[20] Rescue planes flown throughout the country reported that hundreds of bodies were floating in rivers and water covered areas once occupied by towns.

[20] By September 24, planes filled with relief supplies were being flown to Honduras from the United States, Cuba, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala and Venezuela.

Relief crews, overwhelmed by the number of bodies, began taking desperate measures to prevent the spread of diseases.

[44] In Miami, Florida, governor Reubin Askew asked all residents to donate to the Red Cross or Salvation Army to help those affected by the hurricane.

[48] Days after the storm, brigades, deployed by the Honduran military, began to reach the hardest-hit areas as floodwaters started to recede.

"...a British helicopter team dropped toilet paper and tea bags to the people of El Progreso, who are unfamiliar with both items.

"[50] In Honduras, the Red Cross and other relief agencies quickly attempted to unload planes to assure that supplies would reach victims.

[55] On October 3, 1974, Guatemalan businessmen Dionisio Gutiérrez and Alfonso Bosch died when they went by plane to support the victims of Hurricane Fifi–Orlene in Honduras.

The plane was carrying a shipment of medicines that had been collected by the Rotary Club of Guatemala but was crashed by weather conditions and cargo near the village of Las Nubes.

The descendants of the deceased, owners of companies such as Pollo Campero, Avícola Villalobos and Empacadora Toledo created the Juan Bautista Gutierrez Foundation to centralize a series of social projects that they had carried out for several years.

On account of the severe damage and high death toll from the hurricane in the Atlantic basin, the name Fifi was retired at the end of the 1974 season.