Puerto Rico, 2001

Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, May 6 to 7, 2001

May 6 to 7, 2001 · NWS SJU · 11 events in 11 counties and zones

A strong upper to mid level trough moved across the region during the period May6-7 producing torrential rainfall across Puerto Rico. This rainfall caused widespread flooding of streams, rivers and roads, and landslides and damaged many local farms.

The toll

Deaths
2
Injuries
0
Property damage
$130 million
Crop damage
$12 million
Events
11

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.

A strong upper to mid level trough moved across the region during the period May6-7 producing torrential rainfall across Puerto Rico. This rainfall caused widespread flooding of streams, rivers and roads, and landslides and damaged many local farms. The greatest damages were in the municipalities of Yauco, Guayanilla, San German, Cabo Rojo, Lajas and Mayaguez were at least 450 homes and 20 cars were washed away by the rains and more than 30 roads were blocked by mudslides, landslides and trees. Also, two people in the municipality of Yauco died when their cars were swept by the waters. The highest rainfall accumulation in a 24 hour period was at Lajas with 14.19 inches. Other rainfall amounts were; Yauco 12.75 inches and Adjuntas 9.36 inches. In general rainfall amounts from 7 to 12 inches in a 24 hour period fell over the South, West, and Western Interior sections of Puerto Rico. Rainfall values around Lajas reached the 50 -year 24 hour accumulations and the 100-year 12 hour accumulations.

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 May 6, 12:19 PM AST, 1 hour 41 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, May 6, 12:19 PM AST, 1 hour 41 minutes before
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
1028 AM AST SUN MAY 6 2001

LINE OF STRONG SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS EXTENDING FROM THE MONA
CHANNEL NE TO THE LOCAL WESTERN ATLANTIC WATERS...SLOWLY MOVING EAST
TOWARDS WESTERN PUERTO RICO. EXPECT SIGNIFICANT CLOUDINESS AS MID TO
UPPER LEVEL CLOUDS FROM STORM OUTFLOW OVERSPREADS FORECAST AREA.
MUCH STRONGER LOWER LEVEL WINDS INDICATED ON 12Z SJU SOUNDING...WITH
3000 FEET WIND AT 28 KNOTS. GALE NEAR THE SOUTHERN BAHAMAS HAS
RESULTED IN WINDIER CONDITIONS THAN EXPECTED. WILL RAISE A WIND
ADVISORY FLAG AND SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY IN THE MONA CHANNEL WATERS.
CHANGE TO WINDY CONDITIONS IN ALL ZONES. ALTHOUGH DIURNAL HEATING
WILL MINIMAL FOR AFTERNOON CONVECTION...THERE IS FAVORABLE UPPER
LEVEL DYNAMICS AND SJU WIND PROFILE HODOGRAPH INDICATES EXCELLENT
DIRECTIONAL AND SPEED SHEAR TO SUPPORT STRONG TO SEVERE
THUNDERSTORMS. LINE OF STORMS OVER THE MONA CHANNEL SLOWLY MAKING
ITS WAY TOWARD WEST PUERTO RICO...THUS EXPECT MORE WIDESPREAD SHOWER
AND THUNDERTORM ACTIVITY IN WESTERN ZONE AND DECREASING TOWARDS THE
VIRGIN ISLANDS.

EQUIPMENT: NO PROBLEMS AT THIS TIME.

.SJU...
.PR...WIND ADVISORY PRZ001>013...SCA AMZ750>775.
.VI...WIND ADVISORY PRZ001>013...SCA AMZ750>773.

MV

WRITTEN TEXT FORECASTS (IN ENGLISH OR SPANISH)...SATELLITE IMAGERY
...DOPPLER RADAR DATA...AND A VIRTUAL LIBRARY OF WEATHER INFORMATION
CAN BE FOUSND 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

11 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.

Flash Flood, Mayaguez and Vicinity

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Mayaguez and Vicinity County, Countywide
Property damage
$8.0 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Ponce and Vicinity

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Ponce and Vicinity County, Countywide
Deaths
2 direct, 0 indirect
Property damage
$50 million
Crop damage
$4.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Southwest

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Southwest County, Countywide
Property damage
$50 million
Crop damage
$3.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Western Interior

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Western Interior County, Countywide
Property damage
$10 million
Crop damage
$2.0 million
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Central Interior

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Central Interior County, Countywide
Property damage
$5.0 million
Crop damage
$500,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Eastern Interior

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Eastern Interior County, Countywide
Property damage
$3.0 million
Crop damage
$500,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, North Central

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
North Central County, Countywide
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Northwest

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Northwest County, Countywide
Property damage
$2.0 million
Crop damage
$50,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Southeast

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Southeast County, Countywide
Property damage
$3,000
Crop damage
$100,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, Northeast

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
Northeast County, Countywide
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

Flash Flood, San Juan and Vicinity

When
May 6, 2:00 PM AST to May 7, 2:00 AM AST
Where
San Juan and Vicinity County, Countywide
Property damage
$100,000
Reported by
EMERGENCY MANAGER

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Flash Flood, Ponce and Vicinity2001-05-0653MaleIn WaterDirect
Flash Flood, Ponce and Vicinity2001-05-0627MaleIn WaterDirect

What these are

Flash Flood
Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.

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, May 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: 5250236, 5250237, 5250238, 5250239, 5250240, 5250241, 5250242, 5250243, 5250244, 5250245, 5250246.