I moved from Tampa, Florida to get away from the hurricanes, but I’ve learned that moving to any island not in the snow zone carries some possibility of them! However, our recent experience with Hurricane Gabriella has confirmed a key advantage of the Azores: the storms lose their punch here.

On September 24th, Hurricane Gabriella was a powerful Category 4 with 140 mph winds at 5 AM over the open Atlantic. By the time it reached the Azores on September 26th, it had significantly weakened to a Category 1 or Post-Tropical Cyclone.

The storm did cause nearly 200 incidents in the Azores, mainly in the Central Group of islands (Terceira, Faial, and Graciosa), leaving 16 people temporarily displaced. The highest wind gust was recorded on Terceira Island’s Santa Bárbara mountains: $185\text{ km/h}$ (or about $115\text{ mph}$).

A World of Difference on São Miguel
Crucially for the Golden Mermaid Villa, we are located on São Miguel in the Eastern Group of islands, which was the furthest from the storm’s path.

Our experience was remarkably mild:

• We only received moderate winds of $30\text{–}60\text{ mph}$ for just a few hours.
• We only recorded about $2\text{ mm}$ of rain.
• Just three hours later, the sun was shining again!

This was the fastest-moving storm I’ve ever experienced, nothing like the slow, drawn-out hurricanes of Florida.

Why the Azores are Different

The simple geographical fact is that the farther a hurricane travels from the warm waters of the equator, the less powerful it gets. The Azores are typically only on the “tail end” of these systems. As you can see from the charts below (imagine charts showing risk comparison), the risk from intense hurricanes in the Azores is demonstrably much lower compared to Florida or the Caribbean islands.

Storms affecting the Azores by period

Rest assured, the Golden Mermaid Villa and São Miguel provide an island escape with a significantly reduced risk of major storm impact, allowing you to relax and enjoy the unique beauty of the Azores.