Puerto Rico, 2001

Damaging Wind in Puerto Rico, July 28, 2001

July 28, 2001 · NWS SJU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

Strong thunderstorms caused torrential rains and strong gusty winds across the western sections of Puerto Rico. These winds detached the roofs of several houses in Mayaguez, knocked down tree branches and electric poles.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
$10,000
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

Deaths and injuries are direct and indirect together, as the offices filed them. Damage is property and crops in the dollars of the year, not adjusted for inflation, and only where an office estimated it.

What happened

The episode as NWS SJU wrote it up.

Strong thunderstorms caused torrential rains and strong gusty winds across the western sections of Puerto Rico. These winds detached the roofs of several houses in Mayaguez, knocked down tree branches and electric poles. Road 354 was blocked by few trees and a mudslide.

What forecasters said that day

The local office's own words before the first event, as it sent them, from the Iowa Environmental Mesonet's archive of National Weather Service text.

NWS San Juan, PR wrote its last area forecast discussion before the first event at Jul 28, 10:30 AM AST, 3 hours 30 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 28, 10:30 AM AST, 3 hours 30 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
1030 AM AST SAT JUL 28 2001

ANOTHER RELATIVELY DRY WEATHER DAY IS EXPECTED ACROSS THE FORECAST
AREA TODAY AS A HIGH PRESSURE SYSTEM CONTINUES IN CONTROL. SHOWERS
AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DEVELOP ONCE AGAIN AS THE RESULT OF THE
COMBINATION OF DIURNAL HEATING...OROGRAPHIC LIFT AND SEA BREEZE
EFFECTS MAINLY ACROSS THE WEST AND WESTERN INTERIOR SECTIONS OF
PUERTO RICO. VERY HEAVY RAIN IS POSSIBLE OVER LOCALIZED AREAS ACROSS
THE WEST AND WESTERN INTERIOR SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO.

VISIBLE SATELLITE LOOP SUGGEST THAT LEADING EDGE OF WIND SURGE...AND
ASSOCIATED WEAK LOW LEVEL TROUGH CURRENTLY OVER THE LEEWARD ISLANDS
WILL MOVE RAPIDLY WEST ACROSS THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THEN
ACROSS PUERTO RICO THROUGH THIS EVENING. 09Z SATELLITE DERIVED WINDS
PICTURE SHOWS WINDS OF 20 TO 25 KNOTS OVER THE BRITISH VIRGIN
ISLANDS. FRESH EASTERLY WIND ARE FORECASTED TO GRADUALLY BECOME
NORTHEAST LATE TONIGHT THROUGH EARLY SUNDAY.  AN AREA OF AFRICAN
DUST IS ALSO EVIDENT IN VIS SATELLITE PICTURES BEHIND THE LEADING
EDGE OF THIS LOW LEVEL TROUGH.

A VIGOROUS TROPICAL WAVE...LOCATED NEAR 54 WEST...CONTINUES MOVING
WEST NEAR 22 KNOTS AND CONTAINS MODERATE TO DEEP CONVECTION AT BOTH
SIDES OF ITS AXIS SOUTH OF 16 NORTH. ITS INVERTED TROUGH EXTENDS
NORTH TO ALMOST 20N. MODELS BRINGS SIGNIFICANT UPPER LEVEL
DIVERGENCE...LOW TO MID LEVEL POSITIVE VORTICITY ADVECTION...AND
PRECIPITABLE WATER GREATER THAN 2.19 INCHES ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA
STARTING ON MID SUNDAY THROUGH MONDAY. SATELLITE DERIVED WINDS SHOW
30 TO 35 KNOTS WINDS ALONG THE AXIS OF THE WAVE. A WIND ADVISORY MAY
BE REQUIRED FOR TOMORROW FOR SUSTAINED 25 KNOTS OR HIGHER WINDS.

MARINE GUIDANCE SUGGEST A MODERATE EASTERLY SWELL...PRODUCED BY
STRONG WINDS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROPICAL WAVE...ARRIVING TO THE
LOCAL COASTAL WATERS AS SOON AS SATURDAY NIGHT. THIS SWELL MAY
INCREASE THE SEAS TO NEAR 8 FEET BY LATE SUNDAY. SMALL CRAFT
ADVISORIES ARE IN EFFECT FOR ALL WATERS EXCEPT FOR THE NEAR SHORE
WATERS OF WESTERN PUERTO RICO.

EQUIPMENT: NO PROBLEMS AT THIS TIME.

.SJU...
.PR...SCA AMZ750-770-773-775.
.VI...SCA AMZ750-770-773.

ROCHE

WRITTEN TEXT FORECASTS (IN ENGLISH OR SPANISH)...SATELLITE IMAGERY
...DOPPLER RADAR DATA...AND A VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF WEATHER INFORMATION
CAN BE FOUND AT THE NWS SAN JUAN WEB SITES AT:

HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/SJU (ALL LOWER CASE).

    OR

HTTP://WWW.UPR.CLU.EDU/NWS (ALL LOWER CASE).

Event by event

1 thunderstorm wind. Local standard time, as filed.

Thunderstorm Wind, Mayaguez and Vicinity

When
July 28, 2:00 PM AST to 3:00 PM AST
Where
Mayaguez and Vicinity County, Mayaguez
Property damage
$10,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

What these are

Thunderstorm Wind
Winds from a thunderstorm of 50 knots (58 mph) or more, or lower winds that caused damage or casualties. Measured gusts are marked MG, estimated EG.

After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2001Every state in 2001This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, July 2001

Sources

NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, compiled from the National Weather Service’s monthly Storm Data. Complete through 2026-06; NCEI adds each month about 75 days after it ends and revises past years a few times a year. Rebuilt 2026-09-24. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 5259954.