HI! AM TRYING TO PLAN AN ANNIVERSARY TRIP TO THE CARIBBEAN WITH MY HUSBAND FOR SOMETIME THIS SUMMER. HEARD THAT THE HURRICANE SEASON IN THE MAYAN RIVIERA WAS MAY-SEPT. DOES THAT HOLD TRUE FOR THE REST OF THE CARIBBEAN TOO? NANCY

Caribbean hurricane season is June 1 till Nov.30.

THANKS FOR THE SCOOP... GUESS I BETTER PLAN TO GO IN MAY. NANCY

Choose an island in the southern part of the caribbean out of the hurrican belt. Like St.Lucia or Barbados, Grenada, Aruba, Curacao.

Nancy, we have always had good luck in May. The weather has always been great. I have pushed the envelope and gone 3 times in June and got lucky too. <BR><BR>The other poster was right about Grenada, they have had only one hurricane in something like 30 years. Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao are supposedly out of the belt, but Bonaire was badly damaged a couple years ago.

Any island can be hit by a hurricane. Large hurricanes (like Lenny and Georges) can cover a huge amount of territory and big waves caused by the winds can reach areas hundreds of miles away. The winds and wave action during Lenny reached Aruba even though Aruba was south of Lenny's path. St. Lucia definitely felt Lenny's wrath in '99. If you have the option of going in May, it would be safer regarding hurricanes.<BR><BR>The probability of a hurricane for all islands east of Jamaica is not as bad for in October as it is for August or September<BR><BR>(check out http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huri...nce/whpoct.htm for more information)<BR><BR>And and the probability of a hurricane hitting in November (http://www.usatoday.com/weather/huri...nce/whpnov.htm) is even lower, although, it can happen. <BR><BR>Data can be analyzed but no one can guarantee weather.

Aruba, Bonaire & Curacao are SOUTH of the hurricane belt and have never been hit by one. Yes, a storm passing to the north can whip up the seas and cause some wind, but you're safe with these three islands.

Early May is a great time for islands if only because it's mango and passionfruit season...this year, the hurricane season lasted well into late October. Note that just because US weather reports say a hurricane missed an island, check out the reports from that island. This fall, for example,groundseas from Hurricane Mitch in full sunlight wreaked havoc with some of Negril's beach properties...

Actually this year the hurricane season ran later than that. One hit in late Nov. and scuttled our trip to the Keys.