Weather & hazards · Caribbean
When is hurricane season in the Caribbean?
The dates, the peak weeks, and how each island and coast we cover handles them, from Cancun and the Bahamas to Aruba, which sits south of the main storm track.
How the season unfolds
The National Hurricane Center sets the Atlantic season, which covers the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Bahamas, at June 1 to November 30. Its early weeks are usually quiet: in an average year the first named storm forms in mid to late June, the first hurricane in early to mid-August and the first major hurricane in late August or early September.
The season peaks on September 10, and most of its activity falls between mid-August and mid-October. Those are the weeks to plan around. By November activity is fading, and from December to May you are outside the season altogether.
The averages are for the whole Atlantic basin: 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes a season. Most of them never reach any one island, so the season raises the odds of a storm rather than promising one.
Island by island
Each place we cover, with the months its guide advises against and its wettest month. Rain is not the same thing as storm risk, but in most of the region the two peak together.
| Destination | Months we advise against | Wettest month | Rain, Jun–Nov vs Dec–May |
|---|---|---|---|
| CancunHurricane guide | September, October | October (242mm) | 950mm vs 345mm |
| Tulum | September, October | October (243mm) | 1056mm vs 436mm |
| Key West | August, September | September (184mm) | 715mm vs 312mm |
| Miami | August, September | June (267mm) | 1241mm vs 473mm |
| Bahamas | August, September, October | June (220mm) | 1023mm vs 403mm |
| Jamaica | September, October | October (159mm) | 647mm vs 473mm |
| Punta Cana | September, October, November | September (135mm) | 676mm vs 483mm |
| St. Thomas | August, September, October | November (154mm) | 683mm vs 370mm |
| Aruba | October, November | November (87mm) | 275mm vs 177mm |
A few patterns stand out. Aruba is the exception: it sits south of the main storm track, its wettest month gets under 90mm, and its worst time to visit is about a short wet season, not hurricanes. Miami and the Bahamas peak for rain in June, earlier than the storm peak, so their worst months are set by storm risk rather than rainfall. And on Mexico's Caribbean coast, October is the wettest month, and the month Wilma, Delta and Zeta came ashore: see Cancun's hurricane season for the storm history.
Travelling in hurricane season
- Avoid the peak if you can. If your trip has to fall in the season, June, July and November sit outside the mid-August to mid-October main season. Each island's guide says which of those months still work there.
- Book flexible and insure early. Refundable rates, changeable flights, and travel insurance bought when you book, before a storm has a name.
- Watch the forecast. Storms are tracked days ahead. Our live storm tracker shows what is active now.
- Or go December to April. Outside the season and the region's dry months, at peak prices. Our best time to travel ranking scores every month.
Common questions
When is hurricane season in the Caribbean?
Hurricane season in the Caribbean runs from June 1 to November 30, the official Atlantic season set by the US National Hurricane Center. The peak is September 10, and most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October. December to May is outside the season.
What are the worst months for hurricanes in the Caribbean?
September and October. The Atlantic season peaks on September 10, and most activity falls between mid-August and mid-October, according to the National Hurricane Center. In an average season the first hurricane forms in early to mid-August and the first major hurricane in late August or early September.
How many hurricanes are there in an average season?
Based on 1991–2020, an average Atlantic season has 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes. Those are basin-wide totals: most of them never reach any one island.
Which Caribbean islands are outside the hurricane belt?
Aruba sits south of the main storm track, and direct hits there are historically rare. Its wettest months are October and November, and even then rain stays under 90mm a month.
Sources
Every claim on this page is backed by an authoritative source. Atlas Ranger synthesizes data from multiple references so you can see exactly where each fact came from.
- NOAA National Hurricane Center: Tropical Cyclone ClimatologyUsed for: Season dates, the September 10 peak, the mid-August to mid-October main season, 1991–2020 averages and typical dates of the first hurricane and first major hurricane
- Atlas Ranger destination climate dataUsed for: Monthly rainfall and the months each destination guide advises against; each guide lists its own station or reanalysis source