When is the Caribbean hurricane season?
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Go local in Cuba staying in friendly family B&Bs throughout
Cuba salsa dance vacation
Learn to salsa with the pros in Santiago de Cuba, tuition, day trips and nights out
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Immerse yourself in Cuban culture on this 8 day adventure
Tobago beach accommodation
17 beautiful accommodations in unique eco resort
Classic Cuba vacation, 11 days
Get into the Cuban swing over just ten days.
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Fantastic immersive 8 day trip, highlights and hidden gems
Skyline Trail cycling tour in Western Cuba
Cycle the spectacular Skyline Trail through Western Cuba
Discover Cuba tailor made vacations
See the historic sites and beautiful landscapes of Cuba!
Cuba cultural tour, 9 days
Fun and legal tour for American travelers
Discover Cuba vacation, 15 days
Experience the real Cuba on this 15 day cultural adventure
Small group tour to Cuba
Discover the fascinating diversity of Cuba
Small group tours to Cuba
Explore off the beaten track locations
Help rebuild Dominica after hurricane Maria
Help rebuild an eco lodge and a local community,
Scuba diving and tour in Cuba
Scuba diving and roundtrip Cuba with homestays and/or hotels
Self drive Cuba family vacation
Family vacation Cuba for parents & children
Classic Cuba biking vacation
Cycle Cuba - Beaches, Mountains and Revolution!
Haiti vacation, small group
Discover Haiti on this tour to the Caribbean's hidden gem
Jamaica tour, Jamaica Discovery
Venture beyond the tourist trail of Jamaica
Modern Cuba culture vacation, Hip Havana
Dive into the New Cuba: music, art and social enterprise
Cuba tour, The Revolutionary Trail
Follow in the footsteps of the revolutionaries
Hiking vacation in St Lucia
Guided walking on this beautiful tear drop island
Cuba vacation, West to East
Cuba travel 23 days from West to East
Cuba highlights vacation
Explore Havana, visit tobacco hills & doze on dreamy beaches
Why is the Caribbean so prone to hurricanes?
Most Caribbean storms form over the Atlantic, some as far away as the coast of West Africa. They are charged by warm water and moist air, something the Caribbean has plenty of in the soggy summer months. The tropical storms grow in intensity, and as the warm air rises, thunderstorms occur. The hurricanes are, in effect, a huge cluster of thunderstorms. The faster the warm air rises, the more it churns the surface, causing huge waves at sea and powerful winds. Hurricane Maria, which devastated Dominica in September 2017, had wind speeds of 280km per hour, with gusts that were even stronger.The winds and the subsequent waves and flooding can be devastating to coastal communities. Hurricanes are fuelled by warm water, which is why they ease off when traveling over land. It is also why these tiny islands, surrounded by the tepid Caribbean Sea, are particularly vulnerable to hurricanes.
Avoiding hurricane season in the Caribbean
Unsurprisingly, the most popular time to visit the Caribbean is outside of the hurricane season, from December to April. Warm weather, no risk of hurricanes and barely any rain either during these peak months means that this is a safe and pleasant time to visit, although some islands do become busy and prices are at their highest.It’s also worth studying typical patterns, since hurricanes tend to form in certain areas of the Caribbean at specific times in the season. During May and June, at the very start of the Caribbean hurricane season, most hurricanes occur in the western Caribbean. By August and September, they can occur throughout most of the region. The season peaks in October, when the ocean surface temperature is at its warmest. The majority of hurricanes again form in the western Caribbean at this time, and are at their strongest.
The Caribbean in November or May remains a good option. You won’t find the crowds, but you might catch the beginning or end of the rains. May can feel pretty hot and humid, too, particularly in the southern Caribbean. November is still technically hurricane season, but most big storms hit in June or October. July is another good time to visit, when hurricanes rarely affect the region.
Our top Caribbean Vacation
Cuba tailor made vacation, 8 days
Fantastic immersive 8 day trip, highlights and hidden gems
This trip can be tailor made throughout the year to suit your requirements
Other options
A handful of Caribbean Islands lie far enough south to be considered beneath the hurricane belt, so they are good options for travel at any time of the year. Trinidad and Tobago and the so-called ABC islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, as well as Barbados, Grenada and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are far less likely to be affected by hurricanes than the other islands. That said, hurricanes are not unheard of here; Hurricane Ivan devastated Grenada in 2004.Remember that although hurricanes are large, they never affect all islands in the Caribbean. It’s also worth looking into the quantity of rain, and even the way in which it falls in the islands you’re keen to visit, before discounting travel during the wet season; August and September tend to see the heaviest rainfall.
Life after a hurricane
The 2017 Atlantic hurricane season was utterly catastrophic for the Caribbean. It caused at least US$282 worth of damage – the most costly tropical cyclone season on record. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said the season “has caused unprecedented levels of destruction across the Caribbean. It has devastated the lives of millions of people, and left hundreds of thousands of people homeless and displaced.”Source: [1] http://dominicaupdate.com