Baracoa, Cuba'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)

Baracoa most likely to be hit by a hurricane between September 21st and September 27th

Years within or near core

1873
1874tsbr
1876
1878
1883br
1884
1887-2tsbr
1894br
1896br
1899ts
1905tsbr
1908
1909
1916ts
1924tsbr
1927bdts
1930ts
1938tsbr
1939bdts
1949tsbd
1955
1958br
1963m
1966m
1975tsbr
1979ts
1994ts
1998
2000ts
2006ts
2007ts
2007tsbr
2008
2010
2012ts
2012brm
2015ts
2016m
2017brm
2020ts
2024

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

Names from list above (E and I storms most likely to impact the area)

Hilda
Ella
Flora
Inez
Eloise
David
Gordon
Georges
Debby
Ernesto
Noel
Olga
Ike
Tomas
Isaac
Sandy
Erika
Matthew
Irma
Laura
Oscar

Tropical Storm to Hurricane ratio

TS = 22, 52.38%
H = 20, 47.62%

only 12.5% of all tropical systems in baracoa are major hurricanes

Longest gap between storms

14 years 1979-1994

How often this area gets affected?

Brushed or hit every 3.64 years

Average years between direct hurricane hits. (usually within 60 miles to include small hurricanes)

Once every 10.93 years. (14 hits)

Average years between major hurricane hits.

Once every 51 years. (3 hits)

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

94 mph

Statistically when this area should be affected next

Before the end of 2028

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

Last affected by

2024 October 20th Hurricane Oscar hits direct with 80 mph winds while drifting southwest.

This area's hurricane history

1873 September 28th, 105 mph from the south-southeast passes just south while turning west.
1876 September 14th, 80 mph from the east-southeast.
1878 September 5th a category 1, 80 mph hits while moving west-northwest, hundreds drowned.
1884 October 9th just west from the south with 80 mph winds.
1908 September 29th, 85 mph from the south-southeast.
1909 August 23rd, 85 mph from the east-southeast.
1955 September 13th, Hurricane Hilda hits from the east with 80 mph winds.
1963 Hurricane Flora October 4th, 120 mph moved slowly over the area. Over 50 inches of rain fell kills 1,000 in Cuba October 8th sugar crops destroyed. Newspaper article
1966 September 30th Hurricane Inez hits with sustained winds near 135 mph, 6 to 10 foot storm surge. 138 mph reported at shore as rapid intensification happen between Haiti & Cuba. 5 Killed in Cuba & 30 injured. NHC Wallet
1998 September 23rd Hurricane Georges passes to south with 75 mph winds dumping heavy rain, 4 killed 20,000 left homeless crops badly damaged. NHC report
2008, September 8th Hurricane Ike hits with 105 mph winds from the east. In Baracoa, resident William Montoya Sanchez, 39, said low-lying areas of the city were unrecognizable after Ike's passage, with roofs torn from homes and trees uprooted from the ground. State media said at least 200 homes were damaged beyond repair as the storm-surge pounded Baracoa's seawall and rose as high as nearby five-story buildings, sending people scrambling away from the seaside. Authorities said La Farola road, which connects Baracoa with the provincial capital in Guantanamo, was closed due to mudslides. Gusts reported to 86 mph. Damage photo | Photo of surge | Ike model history | Ike aftermath from Baracoa
2010 November 5th Hurricane Tomas passes just east with 80 mph winds while moving north-northeast causes a minor surge. Tomas model history
2016 October 4th, Hurricane Matthew hits with 130 mph winds while moving north causing heavy damage but no deaths. In the city of Baracoa, which was traversed by Matthew's western eyewall, widespread structural damage to homes and other buildings resulted from the category 3 winds and storm surge. In Baracoa, 90% of the homes there were damaged or completely destroyed. Media reports from Baracoa also indicate that hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed by the storm surge flooding, including more than 30 houses washed away, and that the coastal highway on the south side of the city was completely eroded and made impassable in large stretches. (per NHC) Radar animation (Brian McNoldy, Univ. of Miami, Rosenstiel School) | Matthew timeline | Hit map | NHC final report
2024 October 20th Hurricane Oscar hits direct with 80 mph winds while drifting southwest.

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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......