Just like all other vacation destination located in the tropics, both north and south of the equator, Cancun can be affected by hurricanes. Understanding a little bit about hurricnaes hurricanes is a good idea for those who are considering visiting Cancun and the Yucatan during hurricane season.
On the calendar hurricane season runs approximately 5 months each year from June 1st through October 31st in the northern hemisphere. But nature doesn't create hurricanes based on what month it is, these summer and fall storms are created when the ocean temperatures warm up to 80 degrees and above each year and end when the waters cool down.
During some years the ocean water temperatures can create hurricanes before June, but early hurricanes are not that common. More typically, if a hurricane does arrive in the non-hurricane season, it is likely to show up after the October 31st date when the ocean waters have not yet cooled off.
Also knows as "Chubascos" in Mexico, hurricanes are tropical storms with winds that usually run from 75 to 125 miles per hour. They vary in size, but can be as large as several hundred miles across. The 'category' size of any given hurricane is determined by how high the winds of the hurricane are blowing.
A hurricane hits Cancun, on average, only once every few years. So the odds are good that, even if you visit Cancun from June through October, you will not experience a hurricane. So spending too much time worrying about hurricanes is really not necessary.
One of the nice things about hurricanes is that they rarely arrive without warning. These meteorological wonders can take several days to form and become strong, so it is usually possible for travelers to have a 'heads up' about a possible hurricane with enough time to plan accordingly.
The eye of the hurricane is what causes the most trouble. It is this center of the storm where the highest winds are found and which can cause the most damage. Indeed it is possible to be on the outskirts of a hurricane and only experience a cloudy sky or light rain.
The eye of the storm is dangerous not only because of the high winds, but because there are two sides of the eye of the hurricane. Heavy winds are experienced as the center of the storm crosses and area, followed by a dead calm as the very center of the hurricane crosses ground zero. But at this point the storm is only half over.
As the eye of the storm passes any given area, the back side of the hurricane passes, and can cause just as much havoc as the front half. Sometimes the back part of the hurricane causes even more problems because some people think the storm is over once the calm eye e of the storm arrives before the second half.
A more common vacation problem during hurricane season are tropical storms. These are summer and fall storms that never quite make it to hurricane speeds, but they still feature high winds and rains. Tropical storms generally do not cause enough of a problem to cancel a vacation.
Carlos Fiesta suggests that if you are planning a trip to Cancun during the early summer through fall months, take a peek at the recent satellite photos before heading south. Chances are good that your getaway to Cancun will be hurricane free.
For an interesting look at global ocean temperatures, including the waters off of Cancun, drop by the WORLD OCEAN TEMPERATURES web site below.