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.
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September is the hardest month to recommend anywhere in the Caribbean. The NOAA National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic season on September 10, and the scores on this page are the lowest of any month: the eighth-placed island scores 6.94, against 8.66 in January.
That does not mean every September trip ends badly; most do not. It means you are buying a higher risk of a cancelled flight, a closed resort or a wet week. The islands that handle that risk best sit in the far south. Curaçao leads, followed by Aruba, with Grenada and Bonaire next. No US territory makes the top eight, so this is a passport month.
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 | 8.1 | 90 | 85 | 1.8 |
| 2 | Aruba | 7.8 | 89 | 84 | 1.6 |
| 3 | Grenada | 7.7 | 86 | 86 | 3.6 |
| 4 | Bonaire | 7.6 | 88 | 85 | 2.0 |
| 5 | Jamaica | 7.3 | 88 | 87 | 3.7 |
| 6 | Barbados | 7.3 | 85 | 87 | 5.9 |
| 7 | Martinique | 7.0 | 87 | 87 | 4.8 |
| 8 | Antigua | 6.9 | 86 | 86 | 4.4 |
1Curaçao leads September, but at 8.12 it is its lowest score of the year. Rain stays light, about 1.8 inches, and only one hurricane center has passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950, so its halved storm deduction is the smallest exposure on the list. The cost is heat: 90°F (32°C) days, its hottest month, with an 85°F (29°C) sea. Spend mornings at Shete Boka or the west-coast coves and afternoons indoors at the Kura Hulanda museum in Willemstad. Rooms from $62.
2Aruba is second, with the driest September here, about 1.6 inches, 89°F days and an 84°F sea. Two hurricanes have passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950, Anna and Felix, which is why its storm deduction is halved. Its beaches score 9: Eagle Beach and Palm Beach stay calm on the sheltered west coast. Price and crowding hold it below Curaçao, with the cheapest Noord room at $173 on our summer check. A good September pick for families who will not compromise on calm water.
3Grenada is third on a halved storm deduction, an 86°F sea and about 3.6 inches of rain. It is quiet and good value, with rooms in the southwest from $96 to $100 on our dates, and Grand Anse is calm for swimming. Read the caveat before booking: our Grenada page counts six hurricanes within 50 nautical miles since 1950, including Beryl in 2024, and suggests the ABC islands for anyone worried about storms. This score is more generous than its record.
4Bonaire is fourth and has the best September weather score on this list, 8.7, with about 2.0 inches of rain and an 85°F sea. It ranks below the leaders because its beaches score 5 and our page rates it conditional, since non-divers run short of things to do. For divers, it is the strongest September choice in the Caribbean: calm, clear water along the marine park unless a distant storm sends swell. Budget the $75 entry tax and $40 nature fee on top of $95 rooms.
5Jamaica is fifth, with a 6.7 weather score: about 3.7 inches of rain, 88°F days and an 87°F sea, plus the full storm deduction. Its cheap rooms and 24 US nonstop airports keep it on the list. September is the month to remember why its page is conditional: Hurricane Melissa, in late October 2025, shows that the risk runs well past the September peak. Book refundable, buy cover early and favor Negril or Ocho Rios.
6Barbados is sixth. September is wet, about 5.9 inches, mostly in heavy showers, and the sea is 87°F, warm enough to feel like bathwater on the west coast. Its storm deduction is halved because it sits east of the main chain, though six hurricanes have passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950, most recently Elsa in 2021. Its beaches score 8.5 and it is easy to reach from eight US airports. South-coast rooms were $92 on our summer date.
7Martinique is seventh, with a 6.3 weather score: about 4.8 inches of rain, 87°F days and the full storm deduction. It lies in the main storm path; seven hurricane centers have passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950, including Maria in 2017. Its year-round strengths, things to do at 8.5 and light crowding, are what keep it here. If you go, base in the south near Sainte-Anne, where the beaches are, and keep the volcano hike for a clear day.
8Antigua is eighth on the lowest score of any island on any of our twelve monthly Caribbean lists, 6.94. September brings about 4.4 inches of rain and the full storm deduction. Its beaches, 9 out of 10, are still the best on this page, and the west-coast bays at Dickenson Bay and Darkwood stay calm in settled weather. If you go, book refundable. Rooms in St. John's were $155 on our July date.
In this guide
Each island's score is 55% September weather and 45% its year-round profile. The weather part blends daytime high, sea temperature, rain and sunshine, then subtracts our largest storm penalty of the year, 2.5 points out of 10. Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Barbados and Grenada take half. The year-round part covers beaches, things to do, access from the US, hotel value and crowding. See how we score islands for the formula.
NOAA's climatology, based on 1991–2020, gives an average Atlantic season 14 named storms, 7 hurricanes and 3 major hurricanes, with most activity between mid-August and mid-October and the single peak day on September 10. The islands' own records show what that means on the ground. Hurricane Irma struck St. Martin in September 2017, and Princess Juliana airport's terminal was fully rebuilt only by November 2024. Maria passed near Martinique the same month.
The southern islands are not immune, but their record is far lighter. Since 1950, one hurricane center has passed within 50 nautical miles (58 miles, 93 km) of Curaçao and two each near Aruba and Bonaire, according to the counts on our island pages from NOAA's best-track data.
Grenada is third because our method halves its storm penalty along with the ABC islands and Barbados, and because it is quiet and good value. Its own page is more cautious. It counts six hurricanes passing within 50 nautical miles since 1950, including Ivan in 2004 and Beryl in 2024, and advises skipping August to October if storm risk worries you. Treat Grenada's September score as optimistic. If you want the lowest storm exposure, the first, second and fourth places on this list are the ones to pick.
Go if your dates are fixed, you pick a southern island, and you buy insurance before any storm is named. Divers in particular do well in Bonaire, where the leeward coast is usually calm. Go elsewhere, or later, if you need a guaranteed beach week or are planning a wedding or honeymoon with no flexibility.
The alternative is close for the islands further north. By November, Jamaica, Martinique and Antigua each score 0.8 to 1.05 points higher than in September. The ABC islands barely change, because their short rainy season starts in October. If you can shift by a few weeks, see the October and November rankings.
Labor Day falls on Monday, September 6, 2027, and the rest of the month is quiet once US schools are back. Book refundable rooms, choose airlines with published hurricane waivers, and check the National Hurricane Center's tropical outlook in the days before you fly. On larger islands, storms can knock out power widely, as our Puerto Rico page notes. Heat is the other September issue: highs reach 90°F (32°C) on Curaçao and 89°F on Aruba, with seas of 84°F to 87°F across this list. Read our hurricane and cyclone seasons guide before you book.
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
Lunch, gratuities and the site entry fees are included, with hotel or cruise-port pickup. River Antoine still uses a water wheel, and the rum is strong.
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.
It is the riskiest. NOAA's National Hurricane Center puts the peak of the Atlantic season on September 10. Our September scores are the lowest of the year for most islands in this top eight. If you go, pick Curaçao, Aruba or Bonaire.
No island is guaranteed safe, but Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire lie south of the main track. NOAA's best-track data since 1950 shows one hurricane within 50 nautical miles of Curaçao and two each near Aruba and Bonaire.
No. Grenada was long described that way, but six hurricanes have passed within 50 nautical miles since 1950, including Ivan in 2004 and Beryl, which hit Carriacou as a Category 4 on July 1, 2024.
You can, but it scores 11th this month. Its September rain is about 6.6 inches in our dataset and it sits in the main storm path. Buy storm cover and keep your plans flexible. See our Puerto Rico page.
Very. In our dataset, highs on this list run 85°F to 90°F, and the sea reaches 87°F (31°C) around Jamaica, Barbados and Martinique, the warmest of the year.
Further reading
