Does Curacao Get Hurricanes?
Updated July, 2024
We begin this post by answering the question that brought you to this web page: No, the Island of Curacao does not get hurricanes. Please continue to read for an explanation.
One of the worst messages to flash across your phone during a Caribbean vacation would be HURRICANE WARNING! These two words hold the power to wash away your dream vacation, along with the thousands of hard earned dollars it took to get you there.
I would not wish to experience the frustration of having a vacation interrupted by a hurricane or even a tropical storm. Yet, every year this happens for hundreds of thousands of tourists in the Caribbean from June to November.
It seems to many of us that with climate change there has been an increase in devastating storms through the Caribbean The NOAA (National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration) are predicting an 85% chance of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season being an "above normal" season. Their hurricane prediction is for 17-25 named storms, 13-18 hurricanes and 4-7 major hurricanes (category 3-5).
As you consider booking a Caribbean vacation for the fall you likely have two questions: With the "above normal" prediction, will 2024 be as devastating as some years?” and “Is it a good idea to book a Curaçao vacation?”
The answer to the first question is that despite predictions, we do not know what the upcoming hurricane season will bring; The answer to the second question is more straight forward…. Booking a Curaçao vacation is always a good idea.
Hurricane Free Curaçao
The beautiful island of Curaçao is situated only 12 degrees or approximately 1300 km (800 miles) north of the equator and about 65 km (40 miles) off the coast of South America. This results in its weather being impacted more by South America than by systems moving west across the Atlantic. It is within the “Southern Caribbean Dry Zone.”
Though some people describe Curaçao as outside the hurricane zone, the island is on the southern fringe of the hurricane zone. In 2016 the Meteorological Department of Curaçao produced a paper on the history of hurricanes and tropical storms in the Dutch Caribbean and reported that roughly every 100 years considerable damage is done by hurricanes passing close to the island (sometimes to the south) and that approximately every four years a hurricane passes within 150 kilometers (90 miles).
The analysis shows that only 16 named storms (tropical storms and hurricanes) have passed within 120 nautical miles (222 km) of the island and no hurricane or tropical storm has made landfall on Curaçao.
The result is that though there is no 100% guarantee of avoiding hurricanes, your vacation on Curaçao is at extremely low risk of being impacted by a storm. Regardless of the weather through the rest of the Caribbean, you can book a Curaçao vacation with peace of mind.
The island of Curaçao has been gifted with ideal year-round vacation weather. Any time can be Curaçao time!
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