Surrey Snow
25th September 2007, 07:06 PM
This is a question on the mind of many family holiday makers: low rates beckon at resorts in the Caribbean islands and on Mexico's Caribbean coast (Cancun and the Riviera Maya) ; but every once in a while, one of these popular holiday destinations finds itself in the path of a frightening and destructive tropical storm.
Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November, but as the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) notes:
"There is nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes have occurred outside of these six months, but these dates were selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity."
When is the hurricane season most active?
Again according to the AOML, there's a "very peaked season from August to October", with:
78% of the tropical storm days
87% of the "minor" hurricane days
96% of the "major" hurricane days
And within this peak hurricane season, early to mid-September is the pinnacle.
Of course Mother Nature isn't reading any calendars, and every once in a while a tropical cyclone hits out of season, usually in May or December.
And 2005's Hurricane Wilma -- that caused so much damage on Mexico's Caribbean coast-- struck late in the season, battering Cancun and the Riviera Maya on October 21 and 22 2005.
Hurricane Season: folk wisdom
The wisdom of the ages is often worth a listen. Here's a little Caribbean ditty:
June- too soon.
July-- stand by!
August-- look out you must.
September-- remember.
October, all over.
Even if your holiday isn't actually in the path of a major storm, weather patterns are disrupted in a wide radius, and your beach days may be spoiled by rain and wind.
Still, hurricane season is a tempting time to travel: it spans the two top months when kids are out of school; also -- and not surprisingly!-- very tempting discounts are offered at Caribbean resorts during the hurricane season months.
SS
Officially, the Atlantic hurricane season is from 1 June to 30 November, but as the Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) notes:
"There is nothing magical in these dates, and hurricanes have occurred outside of these six months, but these dates were selected to encompass over 97% of tropical activity."
When is the hurricane season most active?
Again according to the AOML, there's a "very peaked season from August to October", with:
78% of the tropical storm days
87% of the "minor" hurricane days
96% of the "major" hurricane days
And within this peak hurricane season, early to mid-September is the pinnacle.
Of course Mother Nature isn't reading any calendars, and every once in a while a tropical cyclone hits out of season, usually in May or December.
And 2005's Hurricane Wilma -- that caused so much damage on Mexico's Caribbean coast-- struck late in the season, battering Cancun and the Riviera Maya on October 21 and 22 2005.
Hurricane Season: folk wisdom
The wisdom of the ages is often worth a listen. Here's a little Caribbean ditty:
June- too soon.
July-- stand by!
August-- look out you must.
September-- remember.
October, all over.
Even if your holiday isn't actually in the path of a major storm, weather patterns are disrupted in a wide radius, and your beach days may be spoiled by rain and wind.
Still, hurricane season is a tempting time to travel: it spans the two top months when kids are out of school; also -- and not surprisingly!-- very tempting discounts are offered at Caribbean resorts during the hurricane season months.
SS