Do you sometimes wonder when hurricanes can happen in Puerto Rico? Maybe you are planning a trip there but not sure when is the right time to go?
When is hurricane season in Puerto Rico?
In the Atlantic Hurricane season for Puerto Rico is from June 1 to November 30.
Puerto Rico typically starts their hurricane season in June and ends in November. In recent years, there have been a lot of cases where Puerto Rico has been hit with a hurricane during December and even January. Places like Saint Lucia hurricane season, Punta Cana, or St Thomas hurricane season have the same timeframe.
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What Month Has The Most Hurricanes In Puerto Rico?
It can be pretty confusing to figure out what month has the most hurricanes for Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. That is because hurricanes that form in the Atlantic Ocean can end up hitting any of these Caribbean islands. These storms can also be so devastating that they strike multiple times, particularly for those islands closer to the equator.
But if I were to take everything into account, I would say the most hurricanes happen between August and October.
How Often Does Puerto Rico Get Hit With Hurricanes?
Puerto Rico was only able to count one year when it did not get hit by at least one hurricane (1950). But other years like 1983 had three hurricanes (Allen, Emily, and Gilma). With that in mind it is very clear that hurricanes in Puerto Rico are common.
Puerto Rico has been hit by many hurricanes over the years. Just to give you an idea, here are some hurricanes that have hit Puerto Rico. The last one that Puerto Rico saw was Hurricane Maria, which devastated the island in September 2017. Since 1950, Puerto Rico has only been able to count 1 hurricane year where it did not have at least one hurricane hit the island.
Climate scientists are not sure why hurricanes seem to strike Puerto Rico more often during winter.
Hurricanes Maria and Irma, which made landfall in Puerto Rico in September 2017, both came nearly a year after Hurricane Irma hit the British Virgin Islands and other islands in September 2017. And Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico more than 10 months after Hurricane Irma devastated other islands such as Antigua and Barbuda.
Puerto Rico has seen so many hurricanes since the year 1950. But other islands have also been experiencing these storms over the years, like the US Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos.
It seems like storms are getting more intense as well. That is because Hurricane Irma was very intense when it made landfall in Puerto Rico, with over 100 mph winds over much of its path before slamming into Florida.
When Was The Last Hurricane In Puerto Rico?
In September 2017 Puerto Rico was devastated by Hurricane Maria. During that time the island was totally cut off from the rest of the United States and many people were without power for a very long time.
Before Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico had been hit by other hurricanes in recent years as well. Some of these storms were Hurricane Irma in 2017, Hurricane Irene in 2011, Tropical Storm Irma in 2010, and Hurricanes Bertha and Gustav in 2008.
Conclusion
Climatologists are not sure why there are so many hurricanes in Puerto Rico from June to November, but those months have been the ones where Puerto Rico has been hit most often. I can tell you that if you decide to go to Puerto Rico during these months, make sure you have a plan in case a hurricane hits your island or home.