A South American hurricane is a

tropical cyclone A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its locat ...

that affects the continent of South America or its countries. The continent is rarely affected by tropical cyclones, though most storms to hit the area are formed in the North Atlantic Ocean. Typically, strong upper-level winds and its proximity to the equator prevents North Atlantic impacts. Cyclone Yaku is the only known tropical cyclone to have ever affected the Pacific side of South America on record, albeit its status as a tropical cyclone is unofficial. Although conditions are typically too hostile for many storms to hit the area from the South Atlantic Ocean, there have been a few tropical cyclones to affect land. Based on climatology, northern

Venezuela Venezuela, officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many Federal Dependencies of Venezuela, islands and islets in the Caribbean Sea. It com ...

and

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

have a 1 to 5% chance of a hurricane strike in any given year, while all locations south of 10° N have less than a 1% chance of a direct hit.

Storms in the South Atlantic

List of tropical cyclones

1588–1900

*November 4–6, 1588 –

Cartagena de Indias Cartagena ( ), known since the colonial era as Cartagena de Indias (), is a city and one of the major ports on the northern coast of Colombia in the Caribbean Region of Colombia, Caribbean Coast Region, along the Caribbean Sea. Cartagena's past ...

is affected by a hurricane. *September, 1672 – A hurricane affects

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, Venezuela. *October 22, 1683 – The island of

Curaçao Curaçao, officially the Country of Curaçao, is a constituent island country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located in the southern Caribbean Sea (specifically the Dutch Caribbean region), about north of Venezuela. Curaçao includ ...

off Venezuela is impacted by a hurricane. *September, 1773 – A hurricane moves across Venezuela and later Colombia. *December 13–22, 1822 – The 1822 Martinique–Venezuela hurricane traversed the

Caribbean Sea The Caribbean Sea is a sea of the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean in the tropics of the Western Hemisphere, located south of the Gulf of Mexico and southwest of the Sargasso Sea. It is bounded by the Greater Antilles to the north from Cuba ...

before making a landfall in Venezuela. Reportedly, 60–100 died in La Guaira, Venezuela alone. It also unofficially holds the record for the latest landfall in the

Western Hemisphere The Western Hemisphere is the half of the planet Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian (which crosses Greenwich, London, United Kingdom) and east of the 180th meridian.- The other half is called the Eastern Hemisphere. Geopolitically, ...

. *October 13, 1847 – Venezuela is affected by a hurricane. *September 23, 1877 – A 105 mph (170 km/h) Category 2 hurricane makes landfall on northern Venezuela, causing winds of up to 80 mph (130 km/h) in

. *September 17, 1886 – A Category 2 hurricane parallels the north coast of Venezuela, causing winds of up to 40 mph (65 km/h) in Curaçao. *December 10, 1887 – A tropical storm passes just north of the

Guajira Department La Guajira () is a departments of Colombia, department of Colombia. It occupies most of the Guajira Peninsula in the northeast region of the country, on the Caribbean Sea and bordering Venezuela, at the northernmost tip of South America. The ca ...

of Colombia. *October 8, 1892 – A Category 2 hurricane hits Northern Venezuela and Colombia, causing rough seas in Curaçao.

20th century

*September 5, 1911 –

experiences a westward moving tropical storm which passes near the northern coasts of

and

. *November 2–5, 1932 – A Category 2 hurricane parallels the north coast of Venezuela and Colombia 75 miles (120 km) offshore, causing some damage. Later, it passes to the northeast of Providencia Island, destroying 36 houses and ruining crops. *June 27, 1933 – A minimal hurricane moves through northeastern Venezuela. The hurricane destroys several houses, businesses, and fishing boats. Powerful winds cut telephonic and telegraphic communications for several days. The hurricane killed several people, and caused over $200,000 in damage (1933 USD, $3.3 million 2008 USD). *October 8, 1954 –

Hurricane Hazel Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest, second-costliest, and most intense hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed at least 469 people in Haiti before it struck the United States near the border between North and Sou ...

parallels the north coasts of Venezuela and Colombia around 100 miles (160 km) offshore as a Category 3 hurricane, though effects, if any, are unknown. *September 25, 1955 –

Hurricane Janet Hurricane Janet was the most powerful tropical cyclone of the 1955 Atlantic hurricane season and one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Janet was also the first named storm to cause 1,000 deaths and the first Category 5 storm name ...

parallels the north coasts of Venezuela and Colombia around 100 miles (160 km) offshore as a Category 4 hurricane, though effects, if any, are unknown. *July 20, 1961 – Hurricane Anna passes 75 miles (120 km) north of the coast of Venezuela, though effects, if any, are unknown. *October 1, 1963 – Hurricane Flora strikes

Tobago Tobago, officially the Ward of Tobago, is an List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, island and Regions and municipalities of Trinidad and Tobago, ward within the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It is located northeast of the larger islan ...

and remains just offshore of Venezuela as it moves through the Caribbean Sea as a Category 3 hurricane. Damage in Venezuela, if any, is unknown. *September 7, 1971 – A tropical depression intensifies into Tropical Storm Edith near the north coast of Venezuela. The southern portion of the depression's circulation moves over the northeastern portion of the country. Effects are unknown. *September 16, 1971 – A tropical depression that later becomes

Hurricane Irene Hurricane Irene was a large and destructive tropical cyclone which affected much of the Caribbean and East Coast of the United States during late August 2011. The ninth tropical cyclone naming, named storm, first hurricane, and first major ...

crosses the island of Curaçao. Effects are unknown. *August 14, 1974 – Tropical Storm Alma makes landfall on northeastern Venezuela and later dissipates over the mountainous country. Intense rain bands cause a passenger plane to crash on

Isla Margarita Margarita Island (, ) is the largest island in the Venezuelan state of Nueva Esparta, situated off the north west coast of the country, in the Caribbean Sea. The capital city of Nueva Esparta, La Asunción, is located on the island. History ...

, resulting in 47 indirect deaths. Damage is unknown. *August 12, 1978 – Tropical Depression Cora dissipates near the island of Curaçao, causing no known impact. *September 13, 1978 – A tropical depression that later becomes

Hurricane Greta A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its loca ...

forms near the northeastern coast of Venezuela, causing no known damage. *September 10–12, 1988 – Outflow bands from Hurricane Gilbert produce flash flooding in northern Venezuela. The flooding killed five people. *October 16–18, 1988 – Tropical Storm Joan strikes northern Venezuela and Colombia. The storm produces flash flooding which kills 11 in Venezuela. In Colombia, rainfall from Joan kills 25, and leaves 27,000 homeless. *August 14, 1990 – Minimal

Tropical Storm Fran The name Fran was used for fourteen tropical cyclones worldwide: four in the Atlantic Ocean, nine in the Western Pacific Ocean, and one in the South Pacific Ocean. Atlantic Ocean: * Hurricane Fran (1973) – formed and remained out at sea. * Tropic ...

dissipates over northeastern Venezuela, with no known impact. *August 7–9, 1993 –

Tropical Storm Bret The name Bret has been used for eight tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth ...

moves across northern Venezuela and Colombia. In Venezuela, the storm drops at least 13.35 inches (339 mm) in Guanare. The rainfall causes mudslides, particularly near the city of Caracas, that cover many low-income housing units. Of the 173 deaths caused by Bret in Venezuela, most occur in the low-income areas near Caracas. Lack of preparation, including weather forecasters prematurely stating the worst of the storm is over, is part of the problem. In all, 10,000 are left homeless, and damaged totals $25 million (1993 USD, $37 million 2008 USD). In Colombia, Bret causes one death and one injury. *July 24–27, 1996 – Hurricane Cesar moves westward across the southern Caribbean and crosses over extreme northern Colombia and the San Andrés archipelago. Cesar kills 11 people in Colombia due to flooding and mudslides. *November 13–16, 1999 – Strong waves from Hurricane Lenny affect the

Guajira Peninsula The Guajira Peninsula (, also spelled ''Goajira'', mainly in colonial period texts, ) is a peninsula in northern Colombia and northwestern Venezuela in the Caribbean. It is the northernmost peninsula in South America and has an area of exte ...

of Colombia, flooding 1,200 homes and businesses along the northern coastline. In addition, winds and rains from the hurricane causes severe crop damage in the country. The hurricane kills two in Colombia.

2000–2020

*September 25, 2000 – Hurricane Joyce dissipates just north of eastern

, causing no known damage. *September 14, 2002 – Hurricane Isidore crosses over northeastern Venezuela as a tropical depression. Effects, if any, are unknown. *December 4, 2003 – Tropical Storm Odette produces heavy rainfall of up to 8 inches (200 mm) in

. *January 20, 2004 – A possible tropical storm or depression in the South Atlantic Ocean hits eastern

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, dropping heavy rainfall in the area. *March 28, 2004 – A cyclone, unofficially named Hurricane Catarina, strikes southeastern Brazil with maximum recorded winds of 100 mph(155 km/h). The hurricane damaged more than 30,000 homes and left 1,900 people homeless. The storm also damaged 1,373 businesses and destroyed 50, including a hospital. The storm killed 3, injured 38, and caused up to $330 million in damage (2004 USD). This was the first hurricane ever reported in the Atlantic, south of the equator. *September 7–9, 2004 – Hurricane Ivan parallels the north coast of Venezuela as a Category 4 hurricane. Ivan's strong winds forced the closure of several airports. The hurricane also produced heavy rainfall and strong waves. Ivan killed three in the country, though overall damage was minor. *July 14, 2005 – Hurricane Emily passes just north of Venezuela as a strengthening hurricane, causing heavy rains and flooding in the northeastern portion of the country. 64 families were forced to leave their homes when rivers in eastern

Monagas Monagas State (, ) is one of the 23 states of Venezuela. Monagas State covers a total surface area of and, as of the 2011 census, had a population of 905,443. Monagas State is surrounded by Sucre State in the north, Anzoátegui State in the ...

state overflowed their banks, but waters quickly receded. Ships were forced to remain at port while the hurricane passed to the country's north, though restrictions quickly lifted. *October 29, 2005 –

Hurricane Beta Hurricane Beta was a compact and intense tropical cyclone that impacted the southwestern Caribbean in late October 2005. Beta was the twenty-fourth tropical storm, fourteenth hurricane, and seventh and final Category 3 hurricane, major hur ...

hits the Colombian island of Providencia, and tears the roofs off of thousands of homes. High winds also shut down all airports and communications. *September 2, 2007 – Strong winds and waves from Hurricane Felix leave one person missing in the coastal Venezuelan city of

Puerto Cabello Puerto Cabello () is a city on the north coast of Venezuela. It is located in Carabobo State, about 210 km west of Caracas. As of 2011, the city had a population of around 182,400. The city is home to the largest and busiest port in the count ...

. *January 28, 2009 – A cold-core mid to upper-level trough in phase with a low-level warm-core low formed a system over Uruguay and Rio Grande do Sul state in Brazil and moved eastward into the South Atlantic. The system was eventually classified as a subtropical cyclone, making it the only subtropical cyclone on record to affect South America, and the second subtropical system ever recorded in the South Atlantic, with the first being a subtropical cyclone in 1974. Winds exceeded on the coast of Uruguay and extreme southern Rio Grande do Sul, and the system produced of rainfall or more in 24 hours in some locations of Rocha (Uruguay) and southern Rio Grande do Sul. Fourteen deaths and thousands of evacuees are attributed to the storm with an emergency declared in four cities. *March 10, 2010 – Unofficially named (by private and public weather centers from Southern Brazil) Tropical Storm Anita affected the coast of southern Brazil. The cyclone develops out of a subtropical cyclone and is one of the rare tropical cyclones developed in South Atlantic Ocean waters. *September 23, 2010 – In

Caracas, Venezuela Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, heavy rains associated with Tropical Storm Matthew triggered significant flooding that destroyed several homes, killing at least seven people. Another person, a 70-year-old man, was swept away by a swollen river in the northeastern state of

Sucre Sucre (; ) is the ''de jure'' capital city of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the sixth most populous city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . This relatively high ...

later that day. *Early November 2010 – Hurricane Tomas produces strong winds and heavy rainfall on Isla Aves, located off the northern coast of Venezuela. *March 10, 2011 – Before becoming a subtropical cyclone, Subtropical Storm Arani produces torrential rains over Brazil. Damage is unknown. *March 10–13, 2015 – Subtropical Storm Cari stalls offshore Brazil, dropping up to of rain, strong waves, and strong winds. *September 30, 2016 – Hurricane Matthew affected the coast of

with tropical storm-force winds and flooding rains. Rainfall in Cartagena reached during a 24-hour span and

Santa Marta Santa Marta (), officially the Distrito Turístico, Cultural e Histórico de Santa Marta (), is a port List of cities in Colombia, city on the coast of the Caribbean Sea in northern Colombia. It is the capital of Magdalena Department and the fou ...

saw . One person died in Aribia in

due to flooding. *June 19–20, 2017 –

makes landfall in

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago, officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean, comprising the main islands of Trinidad and Tobago, along with several List of islands of Trinidad and Tobago, smaller i ...

, causing one death in Trinidad and another in Tobago, before making landfall in Venezuela. The storm results in strong winds and flooding, which caused millions of dollars in damage. *September 22–23, 2019 – Tropical Storm Karen brought severe flash floods to Tobago, trapping some people in their houses, as well as uprooting trees and causing several power outages. Several roads were blocked due to mudslides and downed trees. In addition, seven boats in

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

sank after a jetty broke. It was also announced that all schools would be closed on Monday, September 23. Swells generated by Karen caused flooding and power outages in

and

La Guaira La Guaira () is the capital city of the Venezuelan Vargas (state), state of the same name (formerly named Vargas) and the country's main port, founded in 1577 as an outlet for nearby Caracas. The city hosts its own professional baseball team i ...

. *January 23–24, 2020 – Subtropical Storm Kurumí in the South Atlantic generated heavy rainfall across

Belo Horizonte Belo Horizonte is the List of largest cities in Brazil, sixth-largest city in Brazil, with a population of around 2.3 million, and the third largest metropolitan area, containing a population of 6 million. It is the List of cities in Sout ...

in southeast Brazil, with a 24-hour rainfall total of 171.8 mm (6.764 in) recorded from January 23 to 24, the highest in 110 years. Mudslides killed at least three people and damaged several buildings. Kurumí served to worsen ongoing flooding associated with an unusually active summer monsoon. *November 15–16, 2020 –

Hurricane Iota Hurricane Iota was a devastating late-season tropical cyclone which caused severe damage to areas of Central America already devastated by Hurricane Eta two weeks prior. The 31st and final tropical cyclone, 30th named storm, 14th hurricane, an ...

as a tropical wave caused heavy flooding in mainland Colombia. An estimated 70 percent of Cartagena saw flooding due to the direct effects of Iota. Subsequently, Iota passed very near the

Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina (, ), or San Andrés and Providencia, is one of the departments of Colombia, and the only one located geographically in Central America. It consists of two island groups in the Caribb ...

as a high end Category 4 hurricane; the first to ever strike Colombia. Across the country, at least 7 people died and another 10 were left missing.

2021–present

* April 21, 2021 – Subtropical Storm Potira caused flooding in the streets and damage to the sidewalks in the Brazilian municipalities of

Balneário Camboriú Balneário Camboriú () is a coastal city in the southern Brazilian state of Santa Catarina. The city is built on steep hills which drop down to the sea. It is a popular tourist destination for South Americans, who are drawn to its main ocean b ...

and

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina (state), Santa Catarina, in the South Region, Brazil, South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as we ...

. * December 12, 2021 – Subtropical Storm Ubá affected southern Brazil, causing heavy rains in

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...

Espírito Santo Espírito Santo (; ) is a state in southeastern Brazil. Its capital is Vitória, and its largest city is Serra. With an extensive coastline, the state hosts some of the country's main ports, and its beaches are significant tourist attracti ...

and southern

Bahia Bahia () is one of the 26 Federative units of Brazil, states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Mina ...

, where heavy precipitation accumulated in Itamaraju and in Monte Formoso, killing fifteen people. * May 17, 2022 – Heavy rains from Subtropical Storm Yakecan kill two people in Uruguay and Brazil. * June 30, 2022 – The precursor to Tropical Storm Bonnie made landfall in northern Venezuela and northern Colombia. * October 9, 2022 – Hurricane Julia caused widespread flooding and landslides. In Las Tejerías, in north-central Venezuela, at least 50 people died when mud and debris inundated the town. * March 7–20, 2023 – An extremely rare system, unofficially named Yaku, brings severe flooding to

Ecuador Ecuador, officially the Republic of Ecuador, is a country in northwestern South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and the Pacific Ocean on the west. It also includes the Galápagos Province which contain ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

, killing at least eight people.

Listed by month

44 tropical cyclones have affected South America in most months of the year. DateFormat=yyyy ImageSize= width:350 height:auto barincrement:35 Period = from:0 till:15 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:10 left:5 bottom:50 top:5 Colors= id:cat5red value:rgb(1,0.3765,0.3765) id:minorline value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.9) id:line value:rgb(0.5,0.5,0.5) PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:M bar:Jan from:0 till:2 color:cat5red text:"January" bar:Feb from:0 till:0 color:cat5red text:"February" bar:Mar from:0 till:5 color:cat5red text:"March" bar:Apr from:0 till:0 color:cat5red text:"April" bar:May from:0 till:0 color:cat5red text:"May" bar:Jun from:0 till:2 color:cat5red text:"June" bar:Jul from:0 till:3 color:cat5red text:"July" bar:Aug from:0 till:4 color:cat5red text:"August" bar:Sep from:0 till:14 color:cat5red text:"September" bar:Oct from:0 till:8 color:cat5red text:"October" bar:Nov from:0 till:4 color:cat5red text:"November" bar:Dec from:0 till:3 color:cat5red text:"December" ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:3 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:minorline unit:year increment:1 start:0 TextData = fontsize:M textcolor:black pos:(50,25) # tabs:(100-left) text:"Number of storms affecting South America"

Deadliest storms

Data from South American tropical cyclones is sparse and incomplete, though most tropical cyclones that struck the continent caused multiple deaths. Bret, Julia, Joan, and Cesar all caused their deaths through rainfall or flash flooding.

Tropical cyclone warnings and watches

In the event an

Atlantic hurricane An Atlantic hurricane is a type of tropical cyclone that forms in the Atlantic Ocean primarily between June and November. The terms "hurricane", "typhoon", and "cyclone, tropical cyclone" can be used interchangeably to describe this weather ph ...

threatens the northern coast of South America, the

National Hurricane Center The National Hurricane Center (NHC) is the division of the United States' NOAA/National Weather Service responsible for tracking and predicting tropical weather systems between the IERS Reference Meridian, Prime Meridian and the 140th meridian ...

defines nine locations as tropical cyclone warning breakpoints. The westernmost is the border between

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

and

, and the easternmost is

Georgetown, Guyana Georgetown is the capital (political), capital and largest city of Guyana. It is situated in Demerara-Mahaica, region 4, on the Atlantic Ocean coast, at the mouth of the Demerara River. It is nicknamed the "Garden City of the Caribbean." It is ...

, located at 6.82° N. In the eastern Pacific Ocean, tropical cyclone warning breakpoints extend eastward to the border of Panama and Colombia at 7.23° N. No Atlantic hurricane has existed south of 6.82° N, and no

Pacific hurricane A Pacific hurricane is a tropical cyclone that develops within the northeastern and central Pacific Ocean to the east of 180°W, north of the equator. For tropical cyclone warning purposes, the northern Pacific is divided into three regions: t ...

has existed east of 80° W, though in the event a tropical cyclone threatens a region of South America without warnings, additional warning sites can be selected. In addition to warnings on the mainland of South America, the National Hurricane Center defines the entire island of San Andres as a tropical cyclone warning breakpoint. Intense Hurricane Flora in 1963 prompted officials to declare gale warnings for two islands off the north coast of Venezuela. In 1974, the passage of Tropical Storm Alma warranted the issuance of Gale Warnings for the Paria and Paraguaná Peninsulas. Hurricane Joan in 1988,

in 1993, Hurricane Cesar in 1996, and Hurricane Felix in 2007 resulted in tropical storm and hurricane watches and warnings for several locations in South America. The threat of Hurricane Ivan prompted a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning for the northern coast of Venezuela.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:South America Tropical Cyclones Atlantic hurricanes Lists of tropical cyclones by area

Tropical cyclones A tropical cyclone is a rapidly rotating storm system with a low-pressure area, a closed low-level atmospheric circulation, strong winds, and a spiral arrangement of thunderstorms that produce heavy rain and squalls. Depending on its ...