huracans (homes, retirement, areas, island)

[EddieLo]

I'm looking at Merida for retirement. But what about the hurricanes there? How big (in CAT) how often? What part of the year? Does anyone know?

[recycled]

Anywhere in the Yucatan peninsula can be impacted by hurricanes. Hurricane season typically runs from late June to early November, when sea surface temp is near peak. Most hurricanes hit the Yucatan peninsula on the Quintana Roo coast, from Belize to Cancun. Some brush by the northern peninsula between Mexico and Cuba, on their way into the Gulf of Mexico.

A Cat 2 hit near the Cancun airport a few weeks ago. That area has seen as much as Cat 4 or 5 hurricanes in the past. I was in Mahahual, 4 hours south of Cancun about 7 years ago. A hurricane struck that area hard a year or so earlier, and the tropical forest looked flattened on the main road approaching town and the coastline.

Merida is somewhat removed from the coast but could get plenty of tropical storm winds. I would be more concerned about the really hot temperatures in Merida most of the year.

[AntonioR]

There are some hurricanes that land on the Pacific coast. I remember seeing in the news places such as Puerto Vallarta afected by these storms. Hitting somewhere along the Pacific is a yearly thing.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by AntonioR

There are some hurricanes that land on the Pacific coast. I remember seeing in the news places such as Puerto Vallarta afected by these storms. Hitting somewhere along the Pacific is a yearly thing.

Puerto Vallarta benefits from its geography as most of the impact would go to Cabo Corrientes first where there is little population for a reason. Hurricanes almost always get pulled somewhat north so while PV certainly can get brushed by the edges of a storm, its unlikely to get hit by the worst impacts as that would require a storm that came in almost due east. Same thing for Merida, a storm that gets pulled northward from any angle likely has to cross quite a bit of land first so its going to impact like a minor hurricane at worst. Still something to think about though, but I agree with others the heat and bugs in these places during summer months is a bigger thing to be concerned about.

The areas to worry about are the entire Riviera Maya, Mazatlan and the entire Los Cabos region.

[SenorChip]

Originally Posted by EddieLo

I'm looking at Merida for retirement. But what about the hurricanes there? How big (in CAT) how often? What part of the year? Does anyone know?

Hurricanes are common in Yucatan Peninsula.

How big? Can be 1,2,3,4 or 5. But 4 or 5 are rare in Yucatan.

How often? Every year in hurricane season from August to Octuber.

But the thing is that being very common is an advantage in places like Merida, they know how to handle with this situations.

[EddieLo]

I think Merida is like the Big Island of Hawaii (where I have 2 homes) A hurricane has NEVER hit the island. Tropical storms yes, hurricanes no. Now, Kauai (where I have a home) is a completely different story. Remember Iniki? But thankfully the house is situated on the East coast. It's the West and South coasts that get hit hard. As for my OP, thank you all for the information. I can stand the heat but a Cat 3 or 4 or for sure a 5 hurricane will drive me nuts! As I see it, I kinda agree with Recycled.

[SenorChip]

Hurricanes have passed through Mérida. It is not so common but it has happened, Hurricane Gilberto in 1988 and Isidoro in 2002 attacked Merida with force. Another point to consider is that the path from the Caribbean to Mérida is flat, there are no elevations, so hurricanes can cause more damage even if they only pass near the city.