Which hurricane in 2017 destroyed the island of Barbuda?

The hurricane that destroyed much of Barbuda in 2017 was Hurricane Irma. On September 6, the Category 5 storm’s eyewall crossed the island at near-peak intensity.

Irma made landfall on Barbuda with maximum sustained winds of about 180 mph and a central pressure near 914 millibars. A weather station recorded a 160-mph wind gust. The storm damaged or destroyed roughly 95% of the island’s structures, including homes, schools, the hospital, hotels, utilities, and the airport.

The destruction was so extensive that Barbuda was briefly left uninhabited after residents evacuated to Antigua. The storm surge inundated low-lying areas, while extreme winds flattened buildings and uprooted trees. Antigua, part of the same country, avoided the island’s worst conditions because Irma’s core passed farther north.

Irma is sometimes confused with Hurricane Maria, which struck the Caribbean later in September 2017. Maria caused catastrophic damage elsewhere, especially in Dominica and Puerto Rico, but Irma was the hurricane that devastated Barbuda first.