In the last days, in anticipation of the hurricane "Irma", I studied a lot of information about these physical phenomena.
And, for myself, came to the conclusion that:
In the Dominican Republic, the center of the island is the highest point in the Caribbean basin - 3200 meters above sea level. Mountains, above 1500 meters, occupy very large areas. So, for example, the whole of Constantia is at altitudes of about 1200-1700 meters above sea level.
The temperature in the mountains, at an altitude of 2500 meters, ranges from 0 to +5 degrees Celsius (about 40 degrees Fahrenheit).
Cold air is much denser than warm and lies below as a cap (it is heavy). I believe that for this reason all hurricanes bypass the Dominican Republic.
When the hurricane moves - it meets the heavy and cold layers of the mountain air of the Dominican Republic, it is easier for it to move into the warmer and softer layers of the sea air than to break through a dense layer of cold air.
Therefore, all the hurricanes reaching the Dominican Republic are displaced in different directions from the island. And along the coast of the island there is only a tropical storm (rain with a slight wind).
And "Irma" has bypassed, although it was the most powerful hurricane for the last 100 years ...
PS: all this is just my thoughts, I'm not a professional in this field.
