7 places to take a beach getaway during hurricane season

By GABE CASTRO-ROOT

Beach season doesn’t end at Labor Day. Less sizzling temperatures, thinning crowds and dropping prices — even as water temperatures stay warm — can make fall a perfect time to seek out sun and sand.

But for many popular beach destinations in the Caribbean and eastern United States, that good news comes with an asterisk: the risk that a hurricane can disrupt your plans.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30, typically peaking around Sept. 10, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which predicted “above-normal hurricane activity” this year. One hurricane, Erin, formed in the Atlantic in August. Now, Hurricane Gabrielle is on course to strike Portugal’s Azores, a remote volcanic archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean, this week, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Nowhere is 100% safe from storms, of course. The devastation wreaked by Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina last fall discredited the idea that some places could be “climate havens.”

Still, careful planning can help manage the risks, and the following places are generally considered safer bets during hurricane season. But always check guidance from local officials for up-to-date information.

The ABC Islands

Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, often collectively called the ABCs, sit off the coast of Venezuela, far enough south in the Caribbean Sea that hurricanes almost never reach them.

All three islands have direct flights from U.S. cities, including New York and Miami, and Aruba also has regular nonstop service from cities such as Atlanta, Boston and Charlotte, North Carolina. The islands remain part of the Netherlands, with varying degrees of autonomy, meaning U.S. citizens need a passport but not a visa to visit.

In Aruba, Arikok National Park, which covers nearly 20% of the island, features sand dunes, oceanfront cliffs and the Fontein Cave, whose undulating walls and pillars are home to Indigenous drawings made thousands of years ago (and a bat colony, too). Bonaire’s coastal biodiversity includes flamingos, mangroves and sea turtles, and Curaçao’s brightly colored capital, Willemstad, a UNESCO World Heritage site, combines Dutch colonial architecture with Caribbean and African influences.

Costa Rica and Panama

These Central American nations, which border both the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea, are outside the typical reach of Atlantic and Pacific hurricanes and offer rainforests, beaches and major cities within easy distance of one another.

Fall is the rainy season in both countries, and visitors this time of year can expect lower prices and fewer crowds. Both have direct flights from a variety of U.S. cities, including New York, Houston and San Francisco.

Along both nations’ Pacific coastlines, relax on white sand beaches and watch humpback whales frolic in the (relatively) warm water. If you’re looking for a more active trip, venture into the lush interior of the Monteverde Cloud Forest in Costa Rica for hiking and horseback riding, and Chagres National Park, north of Panama City, for kayaking and fishing.

But remember, neither country is immune from storms: Research has found that climate change is making both increasingly vulnerable to extreme weather, including bursts of high-intensity rainfall.

Hawaii and Southern California

Hurricanes pose a serious risk at some of the most popular U.S. beach destinations, including those in the Carolinas, Florida and along the Gulf Coast. Head west, and you can get your tan on without worrying so much that your trip will be foiled by a major storm. (Of course, such extreme weather does occasionally affect Hawaii: Tropical Storm Kiko, downgraded from a hurricane, caused dangerous surf as it passed near the islands this month.)

Beaches in Hawaii and Southern California are popular tourist destinations anyway. But the fall is shoulder season, and crowds typically diminish while the weather stays pleasant. The peaceful water and white sand at Lanikai Beach, on Oahu, rival the best Caribbean beaches, and Makena State Park, on Maui, is known for its sweeping coastline far from commercial development and a dormant volcanic cinder cone.

In California, explore jagged rock formations at Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve north of San Diego, and bask in the sun at Huntington State Beach near Los Angeles.