Points of Interest:

1
N
Greater
Antilles
Caribbean Sea
Lesser
Central
Antilles
America
South America
The projection of the illustrations is Plate
Carrée, a square grid of latitude and longitude.
North-South distances are true to scale.
East-West distances are stretched 1.2 at 9
degrees North, and stretched 8.7 at 23 degrees
North. All model results were calculated using
great-circle distances based on the WGS84 datum.
Known Issues in the Input Data
Points of Interest The Lesser Antilles are
small and have little effect on storm systems,
although topographic effects on wind, waves and
surge are important locally. By contrast, there
is a distinct shadow north and west of the
Greater Antilles. The shadow is a result of the
decrease in intensity of storms due to several
factors. See the Introduction for further
discussion. In general, the Antilles rise
steeply from deep water, while Central America
has extensive shallows. Wave and surge effects
differ accordingly in the two areas.
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
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2
Winds
10-Year Return Time
Caribbean Sea
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
3
Waves
Caribbean Sea
10-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
4
Surges
Caribbean Sea
10-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
5
Winds
25-Year Return Time
Caribbean Sea
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
6
Waves
Caribbean Sea
25-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
7
Surges
Caribbean Sea
25-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
8
Winds
Caribbean Sea
50-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
9
Waves
Caribbean Sea
50-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
10
Surges
50-Year Return Time
Caribbean Sea
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
11
Winds
100-Year Return Time
Caribbean Sea
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
12
Waves
Caribbean Sea
100-Year Return Time
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
13
Surges
100-Year Return Time
Caribbean Sea
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
Return to Directory
14
Points of Interest Storms gather strength in
the center of the Basin, but they lose some of
that strength as they move on, unless they pass
exactly over the narrow channel northeast of
Yucatan. Yucatan and Honduras protrude into
the sea with extensive shallows, configurations
which encourage large surges. Belize is
relatively well protected, tucked into a sharp
corner of this basin.
Yucatan Pen. (Mexico)
West
Caribbean
Basin
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Belize
Honduras
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
The projection of the illustrations is Plate
Carrée, a square grid of latitude and longitude.
North-South distances are true to scale.
East-West distances are stretched 3.1 at 14
degrees North, and stretched 8.7 at 23 degrees
North. All model results were calculated using
great-circle distances based on the WGS84 datum.
Known Issues in the Input Data
15
Winds
10-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
16
Waves
10-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
17
Surges
10-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
18
Winds
25-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
19
Waves
25-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
20
Surges
25-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
21
Winds
50-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
22
Waves
50-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
23
Surges
50-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
24
Winds
100-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
25
Waves
100-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Known Issues in the Input Data
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
26
Surges
100-Year Return Time
West Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
27
Points of Interest There is a distinct band
of high storm activity which passes south of
Haiti, right over Jamaica, and leads west. This
band includes both storms from the east and the
rare late-season storms which form in the south
of this Basin before moving northward. North and
west of Haiti is a large sheltered area. See the
Introduction for further discussion.
Haiti
Jamaica
Mid-
Caribbean
Return to Directory
Basin
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
The projection of the illustrations is Plate
Carrée, a square grid of latitude and longitude.
North-South distances are true to scale.
East-West distances are stretched 1.8 at 10.75
degrees North, and stretched 7.0 at 20.75
degrees North. All model results were calculated
using great-circle distances based on the WGS84
datum.
Known Issues in the Input Data
28
Winds
10-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
29
Waves
10-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
30
Surges
10-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
31
Winds
25-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
32
Waves
25-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
33
Surges
25-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
34
Winds
50-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
35
Waves
50-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
36
Surges
50-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
37
Winds
100-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
38
Waves
100-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
39
Surges
100-Year Return Time
Mid-Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
40
Points of Interest Storm systems from the
Atlantic reach Barbados and the Windward Islands
first. The mountains of Puerto Rico and the
Dominican Republic have complex local topographic
effects on wind, but Puerto Rico is not quite
large enough to disrupt storms systems as a
whole. (See the Introduction for further
discussion.)
Virgin Is.
Dominican
Puerto
Rico
Leeward Is.
Republic
East
Caribbean
Windward Is.
Return to Directory
Barbados
Basin
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
The projection of the illustrations is Plate
Carrée, a square grid of latitude and longitude.
North-South distances are true to scale.
East-West distances are stretched 1.6 at 10.25
degrees North, and stretched 6.6 at 20.25
degrees North. All model results were calculated
using great-circle distances based on the WGS84
datum.
Known Issues in the Input Data
41
Winds
10-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
42
Waves
10-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
43
Surges
10-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
44
Winds
25-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
45
Waves
25-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
46
Surges
25-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
47
Winds
50-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
48
Waves
50-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
49
Surges
50-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
50
Winds
100-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
51
Waves
100-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin
52
Surges
100-Year Return Time
East Caribbean basin
Return to Directory
N
Caribbean
West Basin
Mid- Basin
East Basin