<P> According to the Bermuda Weather Service, the islands of Bermuda experience 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 nine 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 storm 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' . </P> <P> Hurricanes late in the year are often in the process of undergoing extratropical transition and receiving baroclinic enhancement . 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 . </P> <P> In total, 184 events are listed, with widely varying degrees of damage . A hurricane in 1609 was responsible for the first permanent settlement on 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 storm to impact the territory in modern times, though officially it did not make landfall, and 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 Jose in September 2017 . </P> <Ul> <Li> 1543--The year 1543 and indistinct initials are carved on a rock in the modern - day Spittal Pond Nature Reserve, likely by the occupants of a Portuguese vessel that became separated from her fleet and driven aground in the summer months . Thirty sailors survive on Bermuda for about 60 days, during which time they construct a seaworthy craft from recovered timbers of their wrecked ship . Given the time of year, a tropical hurricane may be responsible for this incident . </Li> <Li> 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 . 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 . </Li> <Li> July (?) 1612--A hurricane destroys a recently constructed church . </Li> <Li> September 1615--A severe hurricane strikes Bermuda </Li> <Li> November 1619--Two hurricanes strike Bermuda during the month, sinking at least one ship, uprooting large trees, ruining the entire winter corn crop, and destroying a wooden watchtower constructed seven years earlier . The rapid succession of two hurricanes leaves the colony with a severe food shortage . </Li> <Li> 1620--A hurricane flattens hastily built shacks, while two fishermen are lost at sea . </Li> <Li> 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 . </Li> <Li> August 16, 1629--The most damaging hurricane thus far in the colony's history destroys crops, several forts, a prison, and the rebuilt watchtower . </Li> <Li> 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 . </Li> <Li> October 16, 1664--A British ship blows aground in the midst of a storm . </Li> <Li> August 24, 1669--One ship is wrecked by a hurricane along the shore of Castle Island, with five men lost, and another capsizes roughly 20 mi (32 km) off Ireland Island . </Li> <Li> 1686--Hurricane season leaves the Government House in a state of disrepair . </Li> </Ul>

When was the last hurricane to hit bermuda