Covers 25 islands from Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands to Aruba, the Bahamas, Bermuda, Cozumel and Roatán, with prices, flights and entry rules checked at the source.
UpdatedThis page carries dated prices, schedules or seasonal facts checked on the date above, and that window has now passed. Re-check the sources at the foot of the page before you book.
August is the month when the hurricane season stops being a footnote. The NOAA National Hurricane Center says most Atlantic activity falls between mid-August and mid-October, and its climatology places the first hurricane of an average season in early to mid-August. Our scores reflect that: the storm deduction more than doubles from July.
The result is the clearest geographic split of the year. Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire, the ABC islands off the coast of Venezuela, take the top three places, because they sit south of the track most storms follow and stay dry while the rest of the region turns wet. If you must travel in August and storms worry you, that is where to go.
Score = 55% this month's weather + 45% the island's other five factors. How we score
| # | Island | Score | High °F | Sea °F | Rain (in) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Curaçao | 8.4 | 89 | 84 | 1.7 |
| 2 | Aruba | 8.1 | 88 | 83 | 1.4 |
| 3 | Bonaire | 7.7 | 87 | 84 | 2.0 |
| 4 | Jamaica | 7.7 | 88 | 86 | 3.3 |
| 5 | Grenada | 7.7 | 84 | 85 | 4.4 |
| 6 | Puerto Rico | 7.5 | 87 | 85 | 4.4 |
| 7 | Barbados | 7.4 | 85 | 86 | 5.9 |
| 8 | Exuma | 7.4 | 85 | 87 | 3.5 |
1Curaçao leads August by 0.3 points. It stays dry, about 1.7 inches of rain, with an 84°F (29°C) sea, and its storm deduction is half the usual: NOAA's records since 1950 show one hurricane, Felix in 2007, passing within 50 nautical miles. Days are the hottest on the list at 89°F, so do the Christoffel climb at dawn and spend afternoons in the water at Playa Lagun. Its value score, $62 in Willemstad on our summer date, has not moved all year.
2Aruba is second, with the driest August here, about 1.4 inches, 88°F days and a reduced storm deduction. Its beaches score 9, and Palm Beach and Baby Beach are calm and shallow for young children, which makes it the best family pick for August. It ranks below Curaçao on value, $173 in Noord on our July check, and crowding. Tropical storms pass closer than hurricanes do, as Bret did in 2023, so book refundable and add the $20 Sustainability Fee to your budget.
3Bonaire is third, its best ranking of the year. August is dry, about 2.0 inches, with an 84°F sea, and the leeward dive coast stays calm unless a distant storm sends swell. Two hurricanes have passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950. For divers and snorkelers, it is the August pick. For everyone else, its beach score of 5 and conditional verdict are the warning: there are few sandy beaches. Rooms in Kralendijk were $95, plus the $75 entry tax and $40 nature fee.
4Jamaica is fourth. August rain rises to about 3.3 inches, with 88°F days and an 86°F sea, and it takes the full storm deduction, so its weather score falls to 7.4. It stays high on cheap rooms and 24 US nonstop airports. Remember why its page is conditional: Hurricane Melissa came ashore in late October 2025, and its recovery is still the story. For an August trip, book refundable, buy storm cover and prefer Negril or Ocho Rios.
5Grenada is fifth, helped by a halved storm deduction, though its rain is heavier at about 4.4 inches. The sea is 85°F, and Spicemas peaks on August 9 and 10, 2027, with J'ouvert and Fancy Mas. It is one of the least visited islands here, with about 186,000 stay-overs in 2025, and rooms in the southwest cost $96 to $100 on our dates. The caveat matters: our Grenada page says it is not south of the hurricane belt, and recommends the ABC islands if storm risk worries you.
6Puerto Rico is sixth, the best-placed US option for August. Rain is about 4.4 inches and it carries the full storm deduction, so its weather score drops to 6.9; storms can cut power across the island. Its year-round profile is still the strongest here: things to do score 9 and 41 US airports fly nonstop, with no passport needed. If you go, stay in San Juan, where flights out are most frequent, and keep El Yunque and Culebra days flexible.
7Barbados is seventh, with the wettest August on this list, about 5.9 inches, though usually as heavy showers rather than all-day rain. Its storm deduction is halved, but it has had six hurricanes within 50 nautical miles since 1950. The draw this month is Crop Over: the festival ends with the Grand Kadooment parade in August. West-coast beaches at Mullins Bay and Paynes Bay stay calm. South-coast rooms were $92 on our July date.
8Exuma is eighth, with the warmest sea on this page, 87°F (31°C), and about 3.5 inches of rain. Calm summer water suits boat days to the swimming pigs and Thunderball Grotto, and its beaches score 9. It carries the full storm deduction, sits in the main hurricane belt and has the priciest rooms here, $225 in George Town on our July check. Book with a free cancellation window, and remember that boat trips cancel when the weather turns.
In this guide
August weather is 55% of the score and the island's year-round profile is 45%. The weather part combines daytime high, sea temperature, rain and sunshine, then subtracts a storm-season penalty of 2.0 points out of 10 in August. Five islands south or east of the usual track, Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Barbados and Grenada, take half that. The year-round part covers beaches, things to do, access, value and crowding. The full method is on how we score islands.
Two things work for them at once. First, rain: Curaçao gets about 1.7 inches in August, Aruba about 1.4 and Bonaire about 2.0, against 3.3 to 5.9 inches on the other five islands here. Second, storm history. In NOAA's best-track records since 1950, one hurricane passed with its center within 50 nautical miles (58 miles, 93 km) of Curaçao and two each near Aruba and Bonaire, against six or seven each for Martinique, St. Lucia, Barbados and Grenada on our island pages.
The trade-off is heat. August highs reach 89°F (32°C) on Curaçao and 88°F on Aruba, and shade is scarce on Aruba's beaches. Aruba suits families who want calm water and no driving; Bonaire suits divers. Even here, a passing storm can bring heavy rain or swell, so the advice below still applies.
Grenada and Barbados rank fifth and seventh partly because our method halves their storm deduction, on the basis that they lie south or east of the main island chain. Their own records argue for care. Our Grenada page counts six hurricanes passing within 50 nautical miles since 1950, including Ivan in 2004 and Beryl, which hit Carriacou as a Category 4 on July 1, 2024. Barbados also has six, most recently Elsa in 2021. The ABC islands have one or two. If you are choosing for storm risk alone, choose an ABC island.
August is carnival month in two of the islands on this list. In Grenada, Spicemas organizers list Dimanche Gras for Sunday, August 8, 2027, J'ouvert and Monday Night Mas for August 9 and Fancy Mas for Tuesday, August 10. In Barbados, Crop Over, a three-month festival, ends with Grand Kadooment, the parade from the National Stadium through Bridgetown; the National Cultural Foundation had not posted the 2027 date when we checked. Rooms near the parade routes sell out, so book early and buy refundable.
Book refundable rooms where you can, and buy travel insurance before a storm is named; many policies exclude a storm that has already been named. Choose airlines and hotels with clear hurricane-change policies. Watch the National Hurricane Center's tropical outlooks in the week before you fly.
What to skip: the US and British Virgin Islands, St. Martin, Anguilla and St. Barts all fall outside the top ten in August, with more rain and the full storm deduction. If you have no passport and must go, Puerto Rico, sixth, is the best-scoring US option. Our hurricane and cyclone seasons guide covers the month-by-month risk.
It is short for the price and has no hotel pickup. A good option for non-swimmers who want to see the reef.
Rating as shown on Viator
The page lists the Arikok National Park entrance fee as $25 per person payable at check-in, so budget for it on top of the tour price. The road to the natural pool is rough and dusty.
Rating as shown on Viator
Carts, safety gear and instruction are included; the option with round-trip transport is $79.
Rating as shown on Viator
Booking through these links supports this site at no cost to you. Prices move by date, so we do not print them here; the official prices we checked are in the page above.
Not everywhere, but it is when risk rises. NOAA's National Hurricane Center says most activity runs from mid-August to mid-October. The ABC islands, Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao, are the safest bets in August because they lie south of the main storm track and stay dry.
Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. NOAA's best-track data since 1950 shows one hurricane passing within 50 nautical miles of Curaçao and two each near Aruba and Bonaire. No island is risk-free; passing storms can still bring flooding rain or swell.
Spicemas organizers list the main days as Dimanche Gras on August 8, J'ouvert and Monday Night Mas on August 9 and Fancy Mas on August 10, 2027, with earlier shows from August 5. Some events were still marked to be confirmed.
Hot. In our dataset, August highs run 84°F to 89°F across this list, with sea temperatures from 83°F to 87°F. Curaçao is the hottest on land; Exuma has the warmest sea.
Prices at the cheap end move less than people expect. Our summer checks, for July 14, 2027, found $53 in Montego Bay and $62 in Willemstad, the same as January, and $92 on Barbados's south coast, down from $140.
Further reading
