Cancun Hurricane Dean

Hurricane Season 2011 | Mexico Travel Magazine

It is approaching that time of year again when we are planning our summer vacations and checking accommodations, flights, what to do and where to visit.  One of the things that seems to always be a concern for summer travelers to tropical destinations is the Hurricane Season.  Already I am starting to get a trickle of e-mails and forum PM’s asking those usual questions.  ”When is hurricane season in Cancun”? “When is hurricane season in Playa Del Carmen”? or “When is hurricane season in Mexico”?

The official start and finish of hurricane season in Mexico and the Caribbean in general including the Gulf of Mexico, Florida’s Atlantic Coast and of course the Pacific Coast of Mexico never changes.  Every year we ring in hurricane season on June 1st and watch it almost go away on November 30th which are the official dates of the dreaded season.  Now that doesn’t mean that every year from June 1 to November 30th the travel destinations affected by those dates have storms, tropical events or even hurricanes, actually until 2005 when Hurricane Emily struck Puerto Aventuras in July it had been more than 20 years since a tropical event much less a hurricane of its magnitude struck the Caribbean coast of Mexico.  That same year proved to be more devastating than 1988 when Hurricane Gilbert struck the resort destination of Cancun leaving it without water or power for weeks and stranding many people locals and tourists alike.

From 1988 to 2005 I can honestly say Mexico’s Caribbean coast enjoyed a lull for lack of other words in tropical activity with only some potential storms and near misses to keep the adrenaline flowing but no direct hits until 2005.  After 2005 we have had 2 near passes of Tropical Events but none that actually came in and affected the area although Hurricane Dean that struck in 2007 the area of Majahual or  Mahahual depending on who you ask causing widespread damage to the town and destroying the cruise ship pier which was the primary source of income for the area businesses.  Dean was originally supposed to hit further to the north in the Riviera Maya area of Playa Del Carmen but steering winds changed and Hurricane Dean moved inland earlier than expected saving the very populated area of Playa Del Carmen.  Businesses were closed the entire stretch of area from Chetumal to Cancun in anticipation of the arrival of Hurricane Dean and some hotels evacuated guests who didn’t decide to fly home to interior rooms away from the beach and Counties like Solidaridad and Benito Juarez put in effect the ban on sale of alcoholic beverages.  in 2003 we had Hurricane Ivan moving up the center of the Caribbean expected to strike the Cancun area but maintained a course through the middle of the Caribbean and then east over the northwest tip of Cuba around the Island of Youth.