Hispaniola is an island in the Caribbean, with the second largest size throughout all of the Caribbean. Throughout the centuries, since reliable records began, hundreds of hurricanes and tropical cyclones have affected Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the two countries that share the island. The most recent tropical cyclone to affect Hispaniola was Hurricane Melissa in October 2025.
Pre-1900s 1800s August 18, 1816 - A hurricane hits Haiti near Port-au-Prince. September 21, 1894 - Hurricane Four passes over the Dominican Republic and Haiti. 500 homes and two churches were damaged; many other buildings had been damaged, with most of them losing their roofs. August 9, 1899 – The 1899 San Ciriaco hurricane brushes the north Dominican Republic coast with 120 mile per hour winds. Along the Ozama River, heavy rainfall washed away an iron bridge. A rush of water was also reported along the Haina River in the province of San Cristóbal, washing away many houses.
1900s July 5, 1901 - Tropical Storm Two passes to the southwest of the Tiburon Peninsula. In the Dominican Republic, in the region between Cotuí and Vega Real, flooding occurred after rivers overflowed their banks, and high winds knocked out communications in the Dominican Republic. In Haiti, there were reports of strong winds and "severe rain", and several ships were destroyed along the coast of Haiti. 14 deaths were reported, with five in Jacmel and nine in Les Cayes. November 12, 1909 - The 1909 Greater Antilles hurricane makes landfall around Nord-Ouest with winds of , causing rainfall to accumulate up to , and resulting in flash floods and large mud slides. Gonaïves was completely flooded, with residents finding safety in the upper levels and roofs of homes. 16 people were killed in Gonaïves after a bridge collapsed due to a swollen river. The Tonazeau River near Port-au-Prince also rose, flooding nearby lands. A large lake long and up to deep formed along the Yaqui River due to unprecedented flooding. Estimates of deaths were in the hundreds, and many villages were destroyed. The only damage estimate for Haiti is $3 million (1909 USD). Overall, damage was $3 million, and 166 fatalities were reported.
1910s August 13, 1915 - A hurricane passes in between Haiti and Jamaica as a major hurricane, causing damage. Communications between Port-au-Prince and America were cut off, and crops were damaged.
1920s August 9, 1928 - The 1928 Haiti hurricane makes landfall on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti as a Category 1 with 90 mile per hour winds, bringing torrential rainfall for more than 20 hours. Saint-Louis-du-Sud was almost completely decimated, with only two buildings keeping their roofs, and both Grand-Boucan and Petit-Trou-de-Nippes had been completely flattened. A majority of villages impacted by the storm were flooded with eight to twenty feet (2.4 to 6.1 meters) of water, and more than 10,000 people were left homeless. More than 200 bodies were recovered, which included 12 from Miragoâne, and another 24 from a dwelling in Belle-Riviere. Many of the roads that were unpaved and not used very much by vehicles had been torn apart and destroyed. Overall, 200 people were killed and there was more than $1 million in damage.
1930s September 3, 1930 - The 1930 Dominican Republic hurricane makes landfall in the Dominican Republic as a Category 4 hurricane with winds, making it estimated among some of the strongest hurricanes in the country, causing in between $15 million and $50 million in damage (1930 USD, $235 million and $780 million in damage 2020 USD), and killing in between 2,000 and 8,000 people. Wind gusts in Santo Domingo were estimated at 150 to 200 miles per hour, with one building recording sustained winds of 100 miles per hour before the roof sustained damage by the storm and a Pan American anemometer reporting a gust of 180 miles per hour before the anemometer was blown away and destroyed. Three districts of Santo Domingo had been completely destroyed with an Associated Press report saying that "there was [barely] a wreck of wall left". Even though this storm was very powerful and destructive, due to its small size, villages 75 miles away from the center of the hurricane didn't even know that it existed. The Ozama River flowed at 15 miles per hour due to heavy rainfall, stopping people from riding the river. Overall, the storm causing in between $15 million and $50 million, and killing between 2,000 and 8,000 people being killed, with the Red Cross reporting 2,000 deaths and 8,000 injuries, though the real death total is still unknown. September 11, 1931 - Hurricane Seven makes landfall in the Dominican Republic as a minimal hurricane. Pan-American Airlines reported that the Santo Domingo power plant had been disabled. September 28, 1932 - The 1932 San Ciprián hurricane makes landfall near the border of the Dominican Republic and Haiti as a Category 2 hurricane with winds, resulting in strong winds and rainfall places devastated by the 1930 Dominican Republic hurricane. Residents closed businesses, with some evacuating and going to churches. winds were reported in San Pedro de Macorís while were reported in Santo Domingo. The agriculture in Santo Domingo had reports that there was "considerable damage". October 21, 1935 - The 1935 Jérémie hurricane drops torrential rainfall in the cities of Jérémie and Jacmel, killing 2,000 people. The rainfall isolated the already remote Tiburon Peninsula even more after roads and bridges were destroyed by rising water from rivers and lakes. A hydroelectric power plant had been completely decimated, taking out power and water for much of the Tiburon Peninsula. Flooding in Jérémie was bad enough to sweep away a metal bridge and hundreds of homes were destroyed, leaving the small number of people left, homeless. Many of the deceased had been swept out to sea, and one estimate was that 1,500 people in the Jérémie area alone had been killed by the storm, meaning it would be the worst disaster in the cities history.
1940s August 4, 1945 - Tropical Storm Three makes landfall west of Santo Domingo, producing scattered thunderstorms and squally weather. May 22, 1948 - Tropical Storm One makes landfall in Haiti with , dropping heavy precipitation. In Ciudad Trujillo (now Santo Domingo), of rainfall fell in less than one day, causing significant impact from flooding. 20 bridges had been destroyed, secluding the city from the rest of the Dominican Republic. An estimated 80 people were killed, along with seven people who went missing after being swept away by floodwaters. September 22, 1949 - Hurricane Ten makes landfall in the Dominican Republic as a tropical storm. 15 people were killed and there was $12,000 in damage.
1950s October 12, 1954 - Hurricane Hazel makes landfall in Haiti as a Category 3 hurricane in Haiti, killing 469 people and causing $500,000 in damage. The South Peninsula of Haiti took the brunt of the storm, with the largest city at the time, Aux Cayes, reporting 200 deaths while Jérémie, the second largest city at the time, had been flooded by the sea and had reported 200 deaths. More the 40 percent of the coffee crop had been destroyed while 50 percent of the cacao crop had been destroyed, affecting the Haitian economy for several years. Most of the casualties from Hazel were when water would flow down mountains as high as tall, drowning many people. Objects in Haiti, such as bowls and plates, were transported to the Carolinian coast by Hazel. Overall, Hazel killed 469+ people and caused $500,000 in damage. October 17, 1955 - Hurricane Katie makes landfall in extreme eastern Sud-Est as a Category 2 hurricane with winds, killing 7 and causing $200,000 in damage. Half the homes in the town of Anse-à-Pitres had been completely demolished by the storm. Meanwhile, over in the Dominican Republic, in the town of Pedernales, 68 homes were damaged. Overall, 7 people were killed and there was $200,000 in damage. September 1, 1958 - Hurricane Ella makes landfall on the Tiburon Peninsula of Haiti with winds, causing $100,000 in damage and killing 33 people. In the Dominican Republic, in the city of Santo Domingo, wind gusts reached 37 miles per hour, causing minor property damage. Rainfall from Ella was moderate, peaking at in Polo, Barahona, causing $100,000 in damage in the southwestern Dominican Republic. In Haiti, agriculture damage was heavy, with about one-third of the crop in Haiti being washed out, mostly to sugar cane and banana crop; a lot of cattle was also killed. Flash flooding from heavy rainfall killed 30 people and left another 3 missing near Aux Cayes, and roads were covered with of water. Overall, Hurricanes Ella caused $100,000 in damage and killed 33 people.
1960s October 3, 1963 – Hurricane Flora makes landfall in Sud as a Category 4 hurricane with winds, dropping torrential rain and bringing strong winds. In the Dominican Republic, they recorded a peak of 39.43 (1,0002 mm) inches of rainfall at Polo Barahona, greatly damaging roads and bridges, mostly from flooding that was considered the most extensive on record. An estimated 3,800 square miles (10,000 kilometers) of the western Dominican Republic was flooded. Meanwhile, in Haiti, strong winds were reported at 120 (195 kilometers per hour) miles per hour near Derez while in Port-au-Prince peak winds were recorded at 65 (102 kilometers per hour) miles per hour. The coffee crop in Haiti was harvested earlier in the season, but hundreds of coffee trees and bushes were damaged or destroyed, with one person estimating it would take three years for the coffee crop to grow back. The strong winds ripped roofs off homes and destroyed buildings, with three entire communities destroyed by the combination of strong winds and rough waves. Intense rain bands dropped torrential rain, with estimates of 75 inches of rain in Miragoâne, though they only recorded a peak of . Storm surge was unknown on the southern coast, though it was estimated at high. Flash floods destroyed the plantation crop and washed out large chunks of villages, with mudslides burying entire villages. The Grise River crested at above normal from heavy rainfall. Overall, damage was in between $185 and $240 million (1963 USD, $1.5 - $2 billion 2020 USD) in damage, and 3,900 - 5,400 deaths. August 24, 1964 – Hurricane Cleo makes landfall in the Tiburon Peninsula at peak intensity with winds, dropping heavy rain and bringing strong winds. Cleo led to the highest 24-hour rainfall accumulation with 19.99 (507.8 mm) inches in Haiti. The town of Les Cayes, Haiti was completely leveled after Cleo. The U.S.S Boxer was sent to Hispaniola to help with recovery efforts, such as medical aid and evacuating services. Overall there was $7 million (1964 USD) in damage, and 139 people were killed.