The British Overseas Territory of Bermuda has a long history of encounters with Atlantic tropical cyclones, many of which inflicted significant damage and influenced the territory's development. A small archipelago comprising about 138 islands and islets, Bermuda occupies in the North Atlantic Ocean, roughly east of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina. The islands are situated far outside the Main Development Region for Atlantic hurricanes,Elsner and Kara, p. 233 but within the typical belt of recurving tropical cyclones. Most storms form in the central Atlantic or western Caribbean Sea before approaching Bermuda from the southwest; storms forming north of 28°N are unlikely to impact the territory.Elsner and Kara, p. 234
According to the Bermuda Weather Service, Bermuda experiences a damaging tropical cyclone once every six to seven years, on average. Due to the small area of the island chain, landfalls and direct hits are rare. Strictly speaking, only 11 landfalls have occurred during years included in the official Atlantic hurricane database, starting in 1851. When hurricanes Fay and Gonzalo struck Bermuda just days apart in October 2014, that season became the first to produce two landfalls. Two damaging storms impacted Bermuda in September 1899, but the center of the first narrowly missed the islands. Tropical cyclones, and their antecedent or remnant weather systems, have affected the territory in all seasons, most frequently in the late summer months. A study of recorded storms from 1609 to 1996 found that direct hits from hurricanes were most common in early September and late October, with an intervening relative lull creating two distinct 'seasons'.
Hurricanes late in the year often receive baroclinic enhancement while undergoing extratropical transition.Elsner and Kara, p. 236 Bermuda is less likely to be impacted during years when the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico, and southeastern United States are favored targets. Even in intense hurricanes, the islands tend to fare relatively well; ever since a cyclone in 1712 destroyed many wooden buildings, most structures have been built with stone walls and roofs, and are able to withstand severe winds. As a result, hurricane-related deaths have been uncommon since the early 18th century. Ten storms have collectively caused 129 fatalities; 110 of them, or 85%, were the result of shipwrecks along the shore in Hurricane "Ten" of 1926. Hurricane Fabian in 2003 was the only system in the weather satellite era to cause storm-related deaths.
In total, 200 storm events are listed, with widely varying degrees of damage. A hurricane in 1609 was responsible for the first permanent settlement in Bermuda: in late July, the Jamestown-bound, British ship Sea Venture nearly foundered in the storm and sought refuge on the islands, which the passengers found surprisingly hospitable. Hurricane Fabian was the most intense system to impact the territory in modern times, though officially it did not make landfall, and it was the only storm to have its name retired for effects in Bermuda. The costliest storms were Fabian and Gonzalo, which caused about $300 million and $200–400 million in damage respectively (2003 and 2014 USD). Accounting for inflation and continued development, Fabian would have likely wrought around $650 million in damage had it struck in 2014. The most recent tropical cyclone to affect the islands was Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
List of storms
1543–1799 Summer 1543 – A Portuguese ship becomes separated from her fleet and grounds on a reef just offshore. Given the time of year, a tropical cyclone may be responsible for the wreck. Thirty occupants survive on Bermuda for about 60 days, during which time they construct a seaworthy craft from the recovered timbers of their ship. The date 1543 and indistinct initials are carved on a rock in the modern-day Spittal Pond Nature Reserve.Tucker, p. 19 July 24, 1609 – A hurricane sets the stage for the British colonization of Bermuda when a ship bound for Jamestown, Virginia, is caught in the storm and forced to steer aground. When a fleet of Virginia Company ships tasked with resupplying the failing Jamestown colony encounters the hurricane, the flagship, Sea Venture, becomes separated from the other vessels and begins to take on water. The increasingly waterlogged Sea Venture battles the rough seas until July 28, when, just as the crew becomes resigned to their fate, Admiral Sir George Somers spots the uninhabited rocky shores of Bermuda. To prevent the ship from sinking, Somers deliberately drives her onto the reefs about a half mile off the eastern coast. Using the ship's longboat, all 150 settlers, as well as the crew, make it safely ashore.Tucker, pp. 20–23 The so-called "Isle of Devils" proves far more hospitable than initially feared, with abundant food and resources. Two new ships, the Deliverance and the Patience, are constructed, and nearly all of the Sea Venture's original occupants set sail for Jamestown. The Virginia Company administers the islands until the formation of the Somers Isles Company in 1615. The tale of the Sea Venture inspired William Shakespeare to write The Tempest, and the coat of arms of Bermuda features a prominent representation of the shipwreck. July (?) 1612 – A hurricane destroys a recently constructed church.Tucker, p. 24 September 1615 – A severe hurricane strikes Bermuda Tucker, pp. 23–25 November 1619 – Two hurricanes strike Bermuda during the month, sinking at least one ship, the Warwick, uprooting large trees, ruining the entire winter corn crop, and destroying a wooden watchtower constructed seven years earlier.Tucker, pp. 25–26 The rapid succession of two hurricanes leaves the colony with a severe food shortage. 1620 – A hurricane flattens hastily built shacks, while two fishermen are lost at sea.Tucker, pp. 26 September 13, 1621 – The arrival of a supply ship into port is delayed by stormy conditions; by the time the vessel wrecks along the coast, some of her passengers have died of a rampant illness.Tucker, pp. 26–27 August 16, 1629 – A hurricane destroys crops, several forts, a prison, and the rebuilt watchtower. October 20, 1639 – Two Spanish ships ground out in a hurricane; the occupants are brought ashore, and charged monthly accommodation fees until their departure the following February. The sailors claim that the Governor had prevented them from leaving the colony except by means of purchasing their own ship.Tucker, pp. 30–33 October 16, 1664 – A British ship blows aground in the midst of a storm.Tucker, pp. 33–34 August 24, 1669 – One ship is wrecked by a hurricane along the shore of Castle Island, with five men lost, and another capsizes roughly off Ireland Island. 1686 – Hurricane season leaves the Government House in a state of disrepair.Tucker, p. 34
1700–1799 September 8, 1712 – A severe hurricane buffets Bermuda for eight hours, destroying most of the churches. The storm highlights the necessity of ongoing efforts to shift from wood construction to stone.Tucker, p. 36 1713 – By November, the effects of two hurricanes are evident, though the collective impact is less severe than that of the 1712 hurricane. 1715 – A disastrous hurricane destroys the rest of the wooden churches left standing after the 1712 hurricane. 1726 – A season of stormy weather includes two hurricane strikes in rapid succession. Private and public buildings alike are damaged by the hurricanes, and the persistent bad weather leads to a stream of stricken ships entering St. George's Harbour for repairs. Without the support of the Somers Isles Company, which was dissolved in 1684, impoverished colonists grow disillusioned; they are often unable to repair storm-related damage, the crops in 1726 are a complete loss, and the small supply of gunpowder is compromised.Tucker, pp. 36–37 1728 – The newly appointed Governor of Bermuda, John Pitt, arrives to find the island in distress from a recent hurricane impact. The official residence requires repair once more.Tucker, p. 37 October 18, 1780 – After emerging from the Lesser Antilles, where it establishes itself as the deadliest Atlantic hurricane on record, the Great Hurricane of 1780 devastates Bermuda, likely passing southeast of the islands. Some fifty ships are driven ashore with the storm surge, and vast swaths of trees are uprooted; the town of St. George's is left with a "completely denuded air." Many homes are demolished. Famine and a smallpox epidemic take hold in the aftermath of the hurricane.Tucker, pp. 37–39 September 1786 – Houses are damaged and trees are uprooted by a hurricane, and the cotton crop is largely destroyed.Tucker, pp. 39–40 October 23, 1793 – A violent hurricane passes near the islands, causing "inconceivable" damage to homes and public buildings, many of them being totally destroyed. The storm topples several thousand trees and wreaks havoc on shipping; every vessel in St. George's Harbour is blown ashore, many ships being wrecked or heavily damaged, and numerous wharves are lost. Most of the 40 or so fish ponds along the north shore of St. David's Island, with a cumulative capacity of about 5,000 fish, are destroyed.Tucker, pp. 40–42
1800–1849 September 9–10, 1800 – The sloop John founders amid rough seas from a tropical storm or hurricane; her entire crew is rescued.Tucker, pp. 42–43 Bermuda is subjected to a period of gales but suffers no damage. November 4–5, 1800 – A hurricane brings strong winds to the islands, "destroying every shrub in its direction." Damage to trees and crops is substantial, and multiple vessels are driven ashore. This hurricane prompts a change in attitude toward the need for a lighthouse in Bermuda, and the establishment of a Marine Society is sought to aid families of sailors lost along the rocky coasts. August 4–5, 1813 – Prior to this storm, St. George's Harbour becomes congested with numerous warships and detained merchant ships due to a war between Great Britain and the United States. Squally conditions on August 4 worsen throughout the night, and by early the following morning, winds roar at , tearing roofs from homes and ships from their moorings. There are violent collisions between vessels in the crowded harbour; nearly every ship is driven ashore or wrecked. Untold quantities of cargo are lost, with little to salvage. Despite the damage, only one life is lost, aboard the ketch General Doyle. In the storm's wake, construction begins on a new breakwater.Tucker, pp. 44–46 October 15–19, 1814 – A hurricane strikes the islands "head-on", with persistent gale-force winds. Roads are clogged with debris and some homes are flooded, though damage is generally minor.Tucker, pp. 46–47 1815 – A slow-moving hurricane on an unspecified date batters the islands, altering the configuration of the coastline.Tucker, p. 48 August 1818 – A hurricane unroofs the Town Hall building on Front Street in the City of Hamilton.Tucker, p. 49 September 19, 1828 – A hurricane to the northwest produces gale-force winds. June 6–7, 1832 – The center of a tropical cyclone passes over or very close to the islands. Two schooners in St. George's Harbour are blown aground, and several houses are partially or totally unroofed. Tree damage is extensive.Tucker, pp. 50–51