Where do hurricanes occur?

Despite the devastation caused by hurricanes in recent years, travelers are often lured by low airfares and cheap hotel rates to the Atlantic hurricane zone, which includes the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico, and the beaches along the Atlantic Coast during summer and fall.

Hurricane capital of the world

The title of ‘Hurricane Capital of the Caribbean’ goes to the island of Abaco in the Bahamas, where 18 severe hurricanes have occurred since 1851.

Top 10 Caribbean islands with hurricane strikes

After Abaco, the 10 Caribbean locations with the highest number of severe hurricanes (categories 3/5) in the last 150 or so years are:

Saba, Netherland Antilles (15/7)
Grand Bahama, Bahama (15/3)
Key West, USA (14/7)
St. Eustatius, Netherland Antilles (14/7)
Bimini, Bahamas (14/5)
Nassau, New Providence, Bahamas (14/3)
Nevis, West Indies (13/7)
Habana, Cuba (13/7)
St. Maarten/St. Martin (13/7)
Tortola, British Virgin Islands (13/6)

See a full list of the islands and the number of hurricanes here.

Top 10 U.S. cities with hurricane strikes

The Atlantic Coast, the Gulf of Mexico, and the Hawaiian islands are the most vulnerable to hurricanes. The top 10 most hurricane-prone cities in the U.S. are the following:

Cape Hattaras, North Carolina
Delray Beach, Florida
Hollywood, Florida
Deerfield Beach, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Florida City, Florida
Grand Isle, Louisiana
Ft. Pierce, Florida
Miami, Florida
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida

Top 10 countries with hurricane strikes

According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Research Administration, the top ten countries with the most hurricane strikes since 1970 are the following:

China
Philippines
Japan
Mexico
United States
Australia
Taiwan
Vietnam
Madagascar
Cuba

Don’t overlook the rest of the globe

Many travelers overlook the Eastern Pacific hurricane season primarily because more people travel in and encounter the hurricanes of the Caribbean instead.

Hurricane risks in the East Pacific

The western coast of Mexico is also subject to hurricanes and is just as closely monitored by weather experts and cruise line operators. Cruise ports such as Acapulco and Puntarenas have suffered serious hurricane damage in the past.

Hurricanes in the Southern hemisphere

Australia, New Zealand and Hawaii also get their share of tropical cyclones each year. The southern hemisphere’s seasons are the opposite of those in the northern, of course, and their hurricane season peaks in March and April.