Martinique's History with Tropical Systems

(br) = Brush (ts) = Tropical Storm (bd) = Back Door, meaning coming from over land from opposite coast. Not all names are noted. Also, storms before 1950 were not named. Not every stat on every storm description is given. (since 1871)

Martinique most likely to be hit by a hurricane between September 7th and September 13th

Years within or near core

1872ts
1875
1876ts
1878ts
1879ts
1880tsbr
1883m
1886tsbr
1887tsbr
1888ts
1889ts
1891m
1893br
1894m
1894
1895ts
1896ts
1896tsbr
1898br
1901ts
1903
1908tsbr
1915tsbr
1916br
1916-2tsbr
1918ts
1926ts
1931-2ts
1941tsbr
1942ts
1943tsbr
1945tsbr
1949tsbr
1951
1951tsbr
1956br
1958ts
1960ts
1963
1967ts
1970ts
1979m
1980brm
1994ts
1995ts
1995
2007
2010br
2012tsbr
2013ts
2014ts
2016ts
2017brm
2018tsbr
2018ts
2019tsbr
2021br
2023tsbr
2023br

61 times in 153 years (as of end of 2024)

Names from list above (D storms most likely to impact the area)

Dog
Charlie
Betsy
Ella
Edith
Beulah
Dorothy
Ana
David
Allen
Debby
Iris
Marilyn
Dean
Tomas
Ernesto
Chantal
Bertha
Matthew
Maria
Isaac
Kirk
Dorian
Elsa
Bret
Tammy

Tropical Storm to Hurricane ratio

TS = 41, 67.80%
H = 20, 32.20%

only 10.91% of all tropical systems affecting Martinique are major hurricanes this includes brushes

Longest gap between storms

13 years 1981-1993

How often this area gets affected?

Brushed or hit every 2.51 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits.

Once every 13.91 years. (11 hits)

Average years between major hurricane hits.

Once every 38.25 years. (4 hits)

Average MPH of hurricane hits. (based on sustained winds from advisories, not gusts)

104 mph

Statistically when this area should be affected next

Before the end of 2026

This is just a statistical average & does not mean the area will be affected by that year.

Last affected by

2023 October 21st Hurricane Tammy brushes 48 miles to the east at closest approach with 80 mph winds while moving north-northwest. Island had gusts near 50 mph and near 5" of rain in some areas.

This area's hurricane history

1780 The great Hurricane on October 11th sinks 40 ships killing an estimated 5,000 men. (not in stats)
1875 just south 90 mph September 9th
1883 September 4th, 125 mph from the east-southeast. Hit map
1891 August 18th, 125 mph with press of 26.85 total devastation from the southeast. Hit map
1894 September 20th, 115 mph from the east-southeast. Hit map
1894 October 12th, 95 mph from the south-southeast
1903 August 9th 31 killed 90 mph from the east.
1951 September 2nd Hurricane Dog 90 mph (HURDAT) hits from the east causing moderate damage
1963 September 25th, Hurricane Edith hits from the east-southeast killing 10 with an 8 ft storm surge 28.38 90 mph. NHC Wallet
1979 August 30th, Hurricane David brushes north tip of island as a category 4 145 mph from the east-southeast causing heavy damage 500 homes destroyed 80 boats sunk, 15 injured. David page
1995 September 14th, Hurricane Marilyn a category 1, 80 mph from the southeast just east causes moderate damage to area. Disaster survey report
2007, August 17th Hurricane Dean passes between Martinique & St Lucia with 100 mph winds.roofs blown off, weather officials said that the French island had been recording wind gusts of 87 miles per hour.An elderly man died of a heart attack during the storm and six people were injured. The hurricane destroyed all the banana plantations, which employ 10,000 of Martinique's 400,000 residents, and wiped out 70 percent of the sugarcane farms, said Christian Estrosi, France's secretary of state for overseas territories. The highest storm-total rainfall in Martinique was 13.07 inches at Fort de France-Colson. Caravelle sustained 78 mph gusts to 88 mph, Sainte-Anne sustained 77 mph gusts to 116 mph, Fort de France sustained 83 mph gusts to 114 mph. Radar animation (Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School) NHC Report

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Stat sources:

Text Sources:

"Divine Wind" by Kerry Emanuel
"Florida Hurricanes and Tropical Storms" by John M. Williams and Iver W. Duedall
"Florida's Hurricane History" by Jay Barnes
"Hurricane Almanac" by Bryan Norcross
HurricaneCity.com calculations by Jim Williams
"Hurricanes and the Middle Atlantic States" by Rick Schwartz
"Hurricane Watch" by Dr. Bob Sheets and Jack Williams
"Inside the Hurricane" by Pete Davies
"Isaac's Storm" by Erik Larson
"Killer 'Cane" by Robert Mykle
"Lunatic Wind" by William Price Fox
Miami Herald newspaper (microfilm)
"Path of Destruction" by John McQuaid and Mark Schleifstein
Sun Sentinel newspaper (microfilm)
"The Major Hurricanes To Affect The Bahamas" by Wayne Neely
"The Ship and the Storm" by Jim Carrier
Plus many more......