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When is Hurricane Season in Cancun? Preparing for Hurricane Season in Mexico

When is hurricane season in Cancun? We’ll answer that question and more in this guide to the hurricane season in Mexico. After experiencing Hurricane Delta firsthand, I was inspired to write this Mexico Cancun hurricane season guide in case you’re prepping for crazy storms and need some guidance.

I’m from England, so while we get a lot of wind and rain, the weather is relatively mild and consistent. England isn’t prone to earthquakes or hurricanes, so it was daunting to learn about when the hurricane season for Mexico is and how to prepare. Whether planning a vacation to Mexico or moving permanently, this Playa del Carmen hurricane season guide will help you feel confident and prepared.

hurricane season mexico cancun

Did You Get Travel Insurance Yet?

The Insurance companies I recommend are Hey Mondo and Safety Wing

Hey Mondo is great if you are looking for a great value flexible policy. They offer single-trip cover, annual multi-trip cover, and long-term travel cover. Safety Wing is great value, with monthly coverage starting at $45.08. It’s super easy to use, and it just renews each month. I currently use them as they offer me free cover for my son as part of my policy.

Read my full travel insurance post here, where I go into detail about all companies. 

Dealing With Natural Disasters When Traveling

One of the things that’s challenged me most since I started traveling is dealing with the fear of my natural environment, which I felt while watching a volcano erupting, going through my first earthquake, and tackling the rainy season in Central America.

Leaving my house before my first Mexico Cancun hurricane season, I wasn’t sure if it would still stand when I returned. I thought the fear and sadness I was feeling would swallow me up—but at the same time, I was also highly aware of my privilege. If a hurricane did take my house and all of my things, I’d have the means to rebuild or hop on a plane back to rainy England.

Not My First Natural Disaster…

I experienced three earthquakes in Guatemala around 6.9-7.4 magnitude. All were pretty terrifying as they came out of nowhere.

I was in bed when the most recent earthquake hit, which seemed to last forever. Although I didn’t suffer any damage or injuries, I would worry about an earthquake hitting every time I went to bed in the weeks after. I genuinely thought I was going crazy, but after Googling it, I discovered there is a form of PTSD specific to earthquakes.

The only way I could calm myself was to focus on things in the room and tell myself nothing was moving. Inside my body, I could feel the motion. It’s hard to explain, but it felt so real that I was always shocked to look around and see nothing was moving.

Eventually, these earthquake feelings stopped, and I could move forward. My point is that just because the natural disaster is over doesn’t mean you’ll feel 100% normal physically or mentally.

Quick Tip: Book accommodation, tours, and transport ahead of time online to save money and stress. 
Best Cancun ToursClick here to check out the top Cancun tours
Best Cancun Accommodation: Click here to check out the best accommodation in Cancun
Best Cancun Transport: Click here to book a bus, ferry, or train in Cancun

When is Hurricane Season in Cancun?

I arrived in Playa del Carmen in 2018, knowing the area is prone to hurricanes but wondering, “When is hurricane season in Mexico?” In my research, I found that while tropical storms are common in Mexico from August to October, one of the last significant hurricanes was Wilma in 2005.

Honestly, I didn’t consider the Playa del Carmen hurricane season much. Yes, I heard stories about how bad Wilma was, and I’ve seen the lasting damage throughout the country with my own eyes.

Over the years, Mexico has experienced more tropical storms than I can remember. Most pass with minor damage—we stay indoors for the day and hope the power isn’t out too long. Numerous hurricane warnings have also occurred, but none hit until Hurricane Delta.

Hurricane Season Playa del Carmen: Hurricane Delta

 hurricane season for mexico

I first became aware of Hurricane Delta on a Monday night after seeing some people complain on Facebook about canceled flights. While I knew we were in the heart of hurricane season in Cancun and Hurricane Delta was headed for us, I didn’t give it much attention. I was still planning to drive to Tulum on Wednesday for a short staycation, as I expected things to blow over quickly.

Tuesday morning came, and the news was still reporting that Delta was coming for us and could be deemed a Category 5 hurricane. I started paying attention at this point, as Delta was getting stronger and shaping up to be the worst storm of Mexico Cancun hurricane season since Wilma.

People started evacuating the islands and the hotel zone in Cancun. Almost all of my ex-pat friends headed to Bacalar and Chetumal. After hours of internet research on how to prepare for hurricane season in Mexico, I came to the conclusion we were screwed.

QUICK TIP: Book your tours, rental cars, and transfers through my local contacts

I’ve been working with Living Dreams Mexico for years and they are who I send all my family and friends to when they visit the Riviera Maya. I really can recommend them enough for private tours and experiences. They have solid 5* reviews on Trip Advisor and Google from almost 4000 reviewers! You can view all their tours here.

If you’re looking for private airport transfers and rental cars then Vanessa and Oliver from Turismo Channel are personal friends of mine and I can 100% recommend them to make an inquiry click here and complete the form. Someone will be in touch within 24 hours.

Deciding to Stay for Hurricane Season Cancun

Don’t ask me why, but leaving didn’t feel like an option. That may sound stupid and reckless, but I wanted to stay. Plus, we didn’t have a car—it was too late to rent one, and taking the bus with two kittens would have been impossible. I didn’t want to abandon my home, so I decided to stay and start preparing for Playa del Carmen hurricane season.

How to Prepare for Hurricane Season Playa del Carmen

You should prepare two main things before the annual hurricane season for Mexico begins: your home and yourself! You’ll want to prepare your house for crazy winds and heavy rain, but you should also prepare to be without power or water for several days.

Preparing Your Home for Hurricane Season in Mexico

Bring inside any outdoor items that could fly away and become dangerous if the wind picks up. I even had to bring my scooter inside the house and store it in my friend’s bedroom!

Ensure your drains are cleared, and board up your windows unless you have hurricane shutters. Sadly, we didn’t know how to board up the windows, and no one was available to help, so we skipped this aspect of hurricane prep.

Ideally, you would prepare your home for hurricanes well in advance so you aren’t scrambling once the storms hit.

Preparing Yourself for Mexico Cancun Hurricane Season

When you get the announcement that a hurricane is nearby, you have a very short window of time to get ready, so preparation is critical. If you lose power, expect not to be able to use your fridge, cook, flush the toilet, or shower.

Stock at least one gallon of drinking water per person and some extra for washing and flushing. Eat as much food as possible in your fridge and buy shelf-stable foods like pasta, lentils, tuna, and snacks.

I was nervous about being in our home even after all this preparation because we didn’t have a bedroom without windows to set up in. Instead, I locked myself in the bathroom with my kittens, an escape bag of necessary documentation, my laptop, a first aid kit, water, and food.

Getting Off Lightly

Thankfully, Delta didn’t end up hitting us too hard. However, the experience of feeling unprepared for Playa del Carmen hurricane season taught me to stop being ignorant and equip myself better for next time.

Hurricane Season Cancun: Must-Have Items

I also packed some things to benefit my mental health, as I knew the experience would be stressful and overwhelming.

hurricane season for mexico
  • Selenite: a crystal for protection I used for meditation when the hurricane started
  • Lavender and tea tree oil: to keep me calm and help me sleep
  • An evil eye: for protection
  • An elephant: for luck
  • Paulo Santo: to clean the energy
  • A woolen pashmina: to wrap myself in for comfort
  • Cozy socks: for coziness and warmth

Quick Tip: View my full Mexico packing guide here including a downloadable checklist. And check out my Mexico Essentials shopping list here.

Hurricane Season Playa del Carmen Aftermath

It took a few days to ground myself after Hurricane Delta passed. By 8:00 a.m., the rain had stopped—by lunchtime, many people were out and about. We started cleaning our home around 3:00 p.m., which took several hours. We still had no power or water, so we couldn’t fully clean. We focused on clearing the damage from our garden and taking all the outdoor items out of our house to return them to the yard.

The mental and emotional aftermath took far longer, as I was exhausted and running off little sleep. I have an auto-immune disease, so the physical toll of the hurricane was massive. My muscles ached, and I had the concentration of a goldfish. I was relieved we didn’t get full power back for a few days, as I had an excuse not to work.

I spent nearly a day eating, sleeping, meditating, and watching Netflix. I’ve had many conversations with friends who experienced hurricane season in Cancun, and most did the same.

Cancun Travel Guide Planning

🧳 Any recommendations on what I should pack for Cancun?

Yes! I have created a whole packing guide to Cancun which you can read here and you can also check out my packing list for Cancun on Amazon here.

🚗 Where can I book bus or private transportation while I’m in Cancun?

I strongly recommend using GottoGo. You can book almost all transport in the major Mexican tourist destinations through them online. They don’t just cover buses they also cover shuttles, ferries, and private drivers.

🎫 Where can I buy tickets for museums, attractions, and tours in Cancun?

I recommend either Viator or GetYour Guide

If you are traveling to Cancun you can use GoCity and save up to 55% of the initial cost of entrance tickets to various museums, tours, and attractions!

If you are traveling to Playa del Carmen then I recommend booking through my friend Vanessa at Turismo Channel. You can check out their tours by clicking here and using the following discount codes for the best prices clairecaroff (car rental), claire10off (for 10% off group tours), claireprivate (for a discount on private tours). You can also send her a WhatsApp message quoting the above codes to receive the discount.

👩‍⚕️ What is the best insurance to have while traveling?

I recommend using Heymondo for a great value policy. The app also offers you 24/7 Dr Chat. For Digital Nomads check out SafetyWing digital nomad insurance.

I have also written a blog post covering all my recommended travel insurance here

✈️ Any flight recommendations?

WayAWay offers you cheap flights with cashback. You can use this code CLAIRE22 to get 10% off. Otherwise Skyscanner or Expedia are my go-to flight searching platforms.

📱What do you use for internet connection while traveling?

I’m a big fan of personal WiFi devices and they have saved my ass so many times when traveling. I wrote a full review of the top travel WiFi devices you can read here. I personally use GlocalMe as I can either pop in a physical sim card or use their local carrier.

With regards to my phone connection, I use e-sims while traveling, so rather than having to swap out my regular sim card I can download the app and buy a virtual sim card. I recommend using eitherAirhub or Alosim. Both have great coverage of multiple countries and are very easy to use.

🛏️ What is the best platform to use for booking accommodation?

The 3 best platforms that I normally use are Booking.comHotels.com, and Expedia They offer great deals and multiple options. I always check all three to be sure of the best deals.

🛅 Do you have any luggage recommendations for traveling?

I do have a complete list of the best packing and luggage products that I recommend, you can check the list here. I’m currently traveling with this suitcase and this backpack. 

When is Hurricane Season in Cancun? Final Thoughts

Hurricane Delta was a huge lesson to me about the importance of being prepared and stocked before Mexico Cancun hurricane season begins. I’m so thankful the Hurricane Delta experience wasn’t worse for us, and I feel much more confident about tackling future storms in Playa del Carmen. So, if you’re asking yourself, “When is hurricane season in Mexico?” be prepared for storms from August to October.