St. John in October?
 

I'm considering a Caribbean trip in October, in part because access from Boston is easy and flights are not expensive. We (two newly empty-nesters) like snorkeling, hiking, low-key, so St. John seems obvious. Is this maybe not a great idea, given hurricane risk and off-season? Alternatives might be other Caribbean islands (same hurricane risk?), Panama (maybe too rainy then?) or Hawaii (but 13-hr trip does not appeal).

We've been to Belize and CR, liked them very much. Also Jamaica long time ago. Thanks for any advice.

I've only been in October. We are going down this October as well. Upside is not too crowded & off season rates. Downsides are Hurricane risk (buy trip insurance?), not all of the restaurants are open, it is hot, and it could be rainy. Our first trip it rained for a day and a half straight! We still go back (in October). This will be our fifth trip there.

I figure the chance of a hurricane hitting that small island at the exact time that I am there is small. There was a scare last year and I read about people being sent to the Westin (a large resort) to ride out the storm.

Personal decision. I did think a friend of mine was crazy for going to St. Thomas in August, but now I'm the crazy one!

The risk of hurricanes is essentiall the same for most of the leeward islands, especially the northern leewards (where St. john is located). FYI - October is also in Hurricane Season in both Panama and Hawaii so I'm not sure going to either of those places will make you any safer.

As mrssparky pointed out the odds of a hurricane striking a specific island during a given week or so is relatively small but if a storm does happen while you are there it could put a damper on YOUR vacation so only YOU can decide if it is "worth the risk". No one can give you any guarantees about the weather. It will be up to Mother Nature!!!

You can research how frequently (actually I should say how infrequently) a major tropical storm or hurricane affects any particular island by gong to the Climatology Section at www.stormcarib.com. Go to that site, scroll down to the Climatology link, click through to the island of your choice, there you'll find a list, by date, of all the major storms that affected that particular island over the last 150+ years. You'll probably be surprised at how few there have been during your planed time of travel. Compile the information and decide if you are comfortable with the odds.

Yes, October is "Low Season" throughout the Caribbean. Room rates are at their lowest, crowds are virtually non-existent and you will encounter some closures of restaurants and resorts.

Good luck making your decision.

IMO, anytime of year is worth the risk to go down to STJ. But for the more cautious, September is usually the worst weather wise. They have a saying (which doesn't always hold true) "September--remember, October-- all over" re: the weather. Officially, the Hurricane Season is supposed continue until November 1st, and that is when many restaurants and businesses come back from hiatus. October should be perfect for you if the old saying holds true this year.

We spent last October at Caneel. Weather was variable, but OK. Water temp was warmer than in February, when we usually go. The BUGS, however, were impossible - after a number of soaking rains before our arrival. Take DEET-based bug repellant. Personally, I would not go again during this time of year; my favorite time is in the late Spring...