Cabo's hurricane season runs from May 15 to November 30 on the Pacific side of Mexico. If your date falls inside that window, it does not mean a storm is coming for your wedding. It means the smart move is to build a weather plan before you book, not after. I photograph weddings here all year, and the couples who handle the season calmly are the ones who answered a few questions early.
This is an honest guide to the dates, which months actually matter, how likely a storm is, and what a real plan B looks like on this coast.
When is hurricane season in Cabo?
The official Eastern Pacific hurricane season runs May 15 to November 30. That is the window when tropical systems can form off Mexico's west coast and drift toward Baja. You will see some planners and guides say the season ends in October. It does not: the official end is November 30, and November storms do happen.
The risk is not spread evenly across those months. Activity builds through the summer and peaks from August to October. That peak is why September and October get more attention than May or November. Everything below is a general pattern, not a forecast for a specific date.
| Month | Typical activity | What I'd plan around |
|---|---|---|
| May | Season opens; early months are quiet | Heat, not storms |
| June | Quiet, hot, humid | Midday sun on portraits |
| July | Occasional early systems | Watch the forecast closer to the date |
| August | Activity rising | A covered backup is worth confirming |
| September | Peak of the season, and the hottest | Plan B plus some flexibility in timing |
| October | Still active, usually tapering late | Plan B; the second half is calmer |
| November | Tail of the season | Low concern, though early November is worth watching |
How likely is a hurricane to actually hit Los Cabos?
Hurricanes are rare here, but they are real. Los Cabos sits at the southern tip of the Baja peninsula, and most Eastern Pacific systems curve out to sea or track north farther west before they reach land. When one does come this way, it can be serious: Hurricane Odile made a direct hit on Cabo in September 2014 and caused major damage across the region.
I won't tell you the risk is zero. I will tell you it is low, and that the preparation is the same whether a storm is likely or only possible. You build the plan once, before booking, and then you mostly forget about it.
Plan B: what to settle before you book
A good weather plan is a set of decisions you make while you are still choosing a venue, not on the morning of the wedding. These are the ones I would not skip:
- See the covered space, in person or on video. Ask which indoor or covered area is the weather backup, how many people it holds, and how it is set up. "We have a backup" is not the same as "you have seen the backup."
- Ask who decides and when. Find out who at the venue makes the call to move indoors and how far ahead of the ceremony that happens.
- Remember wind is separate from rain. A canopy does not fix wind for hair, veils, or ceremony audio. Ask how the venue handles a windy day even when it stays dry.
- Read the contract for date changes. What happens to your date and deposit if weather forces a change, a refund, or a credit? Get the answer in writing.
- Buy travel insurance early. Read exactly what a policy covers for storms and trip changes, and buy it before a system is even named.
- Keep the timeline flexible in season. If you marry September through October, leave room to shift the ceremony time by an hour or two.
What I do as your photographer if the plan changes
In fourteen years on this coast I have photographed ceremonies that moved indoors an hour before they started, and they were still good days. A tighter indoor timeline changes the frame, not the wedding. For every venue I work in, I keep a couple of covered and rain-safe spots in mind so a late change does not cost us the photographs that matter.
What I cannot do is promise blue sky. What I can do is stay calm, keep the timeline moving, and make the room the storm sent you into look like it was the plan all along. If you want to see how I handle a real day, start with how I photograph a Cabo destination wedding.
Choosing a date in season
If you are set on a summer or early-fall date, you do not have to give it up. You do have to decide how much weather risk you are comfortable with, and price the protection into your budget and your contracts. My guide to the best time of year to get married in Cabo walks the months through in detail, and how Cabo's two coasts differ in weather and wind matters if you are weighing a Pacific-side venue against a Sea of Cortez one.
Tell me your date and venue and I will tell you what I would watch for, and what I would have ready. The US National Hurricane Center publishes the official season dates and outlooks, and Canada's travel advisory for Mexico is a good plain-language reference for visitors.
