Harbour Island has experienced the effects of several hurricanes over the past century, including heavy rain, strong winds, and occasional ocean surges. Yet, remarkably, it has never suffered catastrophic damage. One of the most compelling signs of this unusual resilience is visibly present in the island’s architecture—centuries-old wooden homes, some dating back to the 1700s, still stand with timeless grace and character. Their survival speaks not only to the quality of early craftsmanship but also to Harbour Island’s extraordinary fortune in weathering powerful storms with minimal long-term impact.

While there's no definitive scientific explanation for this trend, several plausible theories and geographical factors help explain why Harbour Island rarely suffers severe hurricane damage. The island suffers slightly from some heavy winds, rainfall and electricity outages.

There are several reasons that can explain why the island seems to be “protected” :

Harbour Island is located just off the northeast coast of Eleuthera, which is a much larger island. When hurricanes approach from the Atlantic—typically from the east or southeast—Eleuthera acts as a natural barrier, absorbing the brunt of the storm's force, including wind and storm surge. This buffering effect helps reduce the direct impact on Harbour Island.

At only 500 acres, Harbour Island has a relatively small landmass with modest elevation. While this could be a risk factor in some storms, it may also mean that damaging forces like storm surge are more easily deflected by nearby geographic features. Additionally, no mountains or high terrain means there’s less chance of rain-induced landslides or flash flooding.

The waters around Harbour Island are protected by extensive shallow banks and coral reefs, particularly the Devil’s Backbone reef. These natural formations dissipate wave energy and help prevent large storm surges from reaching the shoreline, which is often the most destructive element of a hurricane.

Over the past few decades, many major hurricanes have tracked either north or south of Harbour Island, ultimately sparing it from direct impact. While powerful storms like Hurricane Dorian in 2019 devastated northern islands such as Abaco and Grand Bahama, Harbour Island experienced only the outer bands and remained largely unaffected. As a result, the historical track record of Harbour Island hurricanes has contributed to the island’s reputation as a relatively safer destination within the region.