4 high surf, as filed by the National Weather Service.
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.
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 Sep 7, 11:34 PM AST, 4 hours 26 minutes earlier.
PUERTO RICO AND U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS FORECAST DISCUSSION...UPDATED AND CORRECTED MARINE PARAGRAPH NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 1134 PM AST TUE SEP 7 2004 .SYNOPSIS...AT UPPER LEVELS...THE TROUGH ALOFT IS MOVING NORTHWEST AHEAD OF IVAN AND FLOW OVER PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS IS TURNING SOUTH. ONCE IVAN PASSES SOUTH OF HISPANIOLA A BAND OF DIVERGENCE WILL CROSS THURSDAY MORNING OVER PUERTO RICO AND UPPER LEVEL FLOW WILL TURN WESTERLY. DIVERGENCE WILL SLOWLY DISSIPATE THURSDAY AND FRIDAY MORNING. A RIDGE CROSSES OVER THE AREA ON THE WEEKEND. BY THE FIRST OF THE WEEK THE FLOW TURNS NORTHEAST AND INCREASES TO 20 TO 30 KNOTS. AT MID LEVELS...A VERY WEAK RIDGE EXTENDS FROM PENNSYLVANIA TO JUST EAST OF THE CARIBBEAN SEA. ON THURSDAY A NORTHEAST SOUTHWEST TROUGH SETS UP FROM IVAN NORTHEASTWARD. LOW PRESSURE THEN MOVES INTO THE WESTERN ATLANTIC OVER THE WEEKEND WITH WEAK GRADIENTS OVERALL. A STRONG TROUGH WILL MOVE OFF OF THE NORTHEASTERN UNITED STATES AND INTO THE ATLANTIC BEGINNING THE FIRST OF NEXT WEEK. AT LOWER LEVELS...IVAN IS JUST MOVING INTO THE CARIBBEAN SEA AND HAS CONTINUED ITS WESTERLY COURSE AT A RESPECTABLE 18 MPH. IT IS FORECAST TO TURN MORE WEST NORTHWEST ON WEDNESDAY...BUT THIS WILL NOT BE IN TIME TO AFFECT PUERTO RICO OR THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. THERE IS A WAVE BETWEEN 30 AND 40 WEST THAT IS MOVING THIS WAY...BUT THE MOISTURE ASSOCIATED WITH IT WILL BEGIN MOVING NORTH ON SATURDAY. A VERY WEAK TAIL IS FORECAST TO CROSS OVER THE AREA MONDAY EVENING AND MAY BRING AN INCREASE IN SHOWER ACTIVITY THEN. OTHERWISE FLOW GENERALLY REMAINS SOUTH OF EAST AFTER THE PASSAGE OF IVAN TO THE SOUTH AROUND 18Z WEDNESDAY. && .UPDATE...IVAN CONTINUES TO HOLD SOUTH OF MOST TRACKS AND AT 03Z WAS STILL AT 12.1 NORTH LATITUDE. THE FIRST RAIN BAND OF IVAN APPEARED ON NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE RADAR AROUND 0130Z AND HAD MODERATE SHOWERS IN A BAND NOT QUITE AS WIDE AS THE ISLAND OF SAINT CROIX. THIS BAND WILL NOT REACH SAINT CROIX...BUT OTHER RAIN BANDS INDUCED BY THE HURRICANE WILL LIKELY PASS BY THE ISLAND TONIGHT WITH A MINIMAL AMOUNT OF RAIN. THE SOUTHERLY WINDS MENTIONED ABOVE AT UPPER LEVELS WILL BRING A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF CIRRUS BLOWOFF FROM IVAN AND THAT HAS ALREADY SPREAD OVER MUCH OF PUERTO RICO AND ALL OF THE VIRGIN ISLANDS. THIS WILL REMAIN OVER THE AREA THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING AND SO HAVE INCREASED THE CLOUD COVER THROUGH THEN IN THE GRIDS. THE 00Z SOUNDING CAME IN MUCH DRIER THAN THE LAST SEVERAL SOUNDINGS JUST AS IT DID WHEN FRANCES PASSED BY LAST WEEK. NEVERTHELESS MOISTURE SHOULD RECOVER SOMEWHAT DURING THE MORNING WEDNESDAY. THE BEST MOISTURE APPEARS TO BE AT THE TIME OF MAXIMUM CONVECTION WEDNESDAY. EXPECT THAT INCREASING MOISTURE FROM IVAN AND SLIGHTLY STRONGER WINDS WILL ALTER THE NORMAL PATTERN SUCH THAT OROGRAPHIC EFFECTS WILL BE SOMEWHAT MORE PROMINENT. NEVERTHELESS CONVERGENCE ON THE WEST END OF THE ISLAND SHOULD NOT DISAPPEAR AND INCREASING MOISTURE SHOULD FUEL THUNDERSTORMS AND YIELD HEAVY RAINS IN SOME AREAS OF PUERTO RICO. DIVERGENCE ALOFT ON THURSDAY SHOULD AID SHOWER ACTIVITY ON THURSDAY AND HIGHER POPS THAN NORMAL. && .MARINE...SEAS WILL INCREASE ABRUPTLY AS SWELL FROM IVAN BEGIN TO ARRIVE IN CARIBBEAN WATERS ON WEDNESDAY. SEAS ARE NOT EXPECTED TO BE OVER 10 FEET AS NOW THE RADIUS OF 12 FOOT SEAS IS SOUTH OF THE AREA BY SOME 120 MILES. SEAS WILL BEGIN DECREASING ALMOST IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE PASSAGE OF IVAN TO THE WEST AND SHOULD BE LESS THAN 5 FEET BY THE WEEKEND IN MOST OF THE AREA. BECAUSE THE WAVE HEIGHTS WILL BE LOWER ACROSS THE AREA...THE LIKELIHOOD OF COASTAL FLOODING HAS MUCH DIMINISHED AND THE WATCH WILL BE TAKEN DOWN TONIGHT. HIGH SURF WILL NOT ARRIVE IN THE AREA UNTIL AFTER NOON ON WEDNESDAY SO THE THE ADVISORY HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR NOW BUT MAY BE NEEDED AGAIN TOMORROW. WILL LEAVE THAT DECISION OPEN TO THE FORECASTER ON THE DAY SHIFT. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES WILL COME UP ON WEDNESDAY AS WINDS AND SEAS INCREASE. && .AVIATION...LITTLE HAZE COULD BE SEEN IN THE AEROSOL OPTICAL PRODUCT FROM YESTERDAY...AND IT IS NOT ANTICIPATED THAT HAZE WILL BE NOTICEABLE. THEREFORE HAZE HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM THE GRIDS. THE DRY LAYER FROM IVAN DOES NOT HAVE ITS ORIGIN IN THE SAHARA AND THEREFORE ALTHOUGH UPPER LAYERS AROUND THE PERIPHERY OF THE HURRICANE ARE CERTAINLY DRY...THEY ARE NOT DUST LADEN. && .PREV DISCUSSION...LARGE UPPER LOW SOUTH OF HISPANOLA ACROSS THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN CONTINUES TO SHIFT WESTWARD WITH AN ASSOCIATED TROUGH EXTENDING NORTHEAST BETWEEN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC AND THE MONA PASSAGE. MID TO UPPER LEVEL REFLECTION OF TUTT LOW ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC EXTENDS SOUTHWEST TO JUST NORTH OF THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS. IN THE LOW LEVELS...A TROUGH EXTENDS FROM A LOW CENTERED ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC SOUTHWEST TO NEAR 20 NORTH 55 WEST...MEANWHILE SURFACE HIGH PRESSURE RIDGING EXTENDS ACROSS THE LOCAL REGION FROM THE WEST ATLANTIC AS HURRICANE IVAN (NOW A POWERFUL CATEGORY 3 AND CONTINUING TO INTENSIFY) CONTINUES ITS WESTERLY TRACK ACROSS THE SOUTHERN WINDWARD ISLANDS. THIS IS AIDING IN CREATING A MODERATE EAST NORTHEAST TRADE WIND FLOW ACROSS THE LOCAL REGION. AT 5 PM...DANGEROUS HURRICANE IVAN WAS LOCATED NEAR 12.0 NORTH 62.0 WEST ABOUT 20 MILES WEST SOUTHWEST OF GRENADA AND MOVING TOWARDS THE WEST AT 16 KNOTS (18 MPH). GOOD UPPER LEVEL DIVERGENCE/DIFFLUENCE ENHANCING THE CONVECTION ACROSS THE INTERIOR AND WESTERN PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON. THE UPPER LOW AND ASSOCIATED DYNAMICS WILL CONTINUE TO SHIFT WEST THIS EVENING...AND AS A RESULT LOOSEN ITS EFFECTS AND ALLOWING FOR A BRIEF PERIOD OF DRIER AND STABLE UPPER LEVEL WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE LOCAL REGION. HURRICANE IVAN IS STILL FORECAST TO MOVE WELL SOUTH OF THE REGION BUT AS IT MOVES ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN WATERS...EXPECT A GRADUAL INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND WINDS IN THE ADVANCE OF THIS SYSTEM AS THE SURFACE PRESSURE GRADIENT IS TIGHTENS ACROSS THE NORTHEAST CARIBBEAN. WINDS ACROSS THESE AREAS ARE EXPECTED TO REACH SPEEDS JUST BELOW TROPICAL STORM FORCE ON THE FAR OUTER FRINGES OF THE CARIBBEAN WATERS AND 20-25 MPH WINDS WITH OCCASIONALLY HIGHER GUST EXPECTED ELSEWHERE. SCATTERED TO LOCALLY NUMEROUS SHOWERS...WITH SOME ISOLATED SQUALLS AND THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON THROUGH THURSDAY ASSOCIATED WITH IVAN. THE MAIN PORTION OF THE RAINBANDS AND SQUALLS HOWEVER WILL REMAIN TO OUR SOUTH...AND ONLY AFFECT THE OFF SHORE FRINGES OF THE CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS. MARINE CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED TO BEGIN TO DETERIORATE ACROSS THE LOCAL CARIB WATERS THIS EVENING THROUGH WEDNESDAY...AS LONG PERIOD SOUTHEAST SWELLS FROM IVAN BEGIN TO ARRIVE...AND STEADILY INCREASE THROUGH WEDNESDAY. THE CARIBBEAN SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO PEAK ON WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON IN LARGE SOUTHEAST SWELLS GENERATED BY IVAN. AS A RESULT OF THE ANTICIPATED INCREASING WINDS AND SEAS...A COASTAL FLOOD WATCH AND HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS NOW IN EFFECT FOR THE SOUTH AND SOUTHEAST COASTS OF THE PUERTO RICO INCLUDING...ST CROIX... AND VIEQUES. SMALL CRAFT ADVISORIES REMAIN IN EFFECT FOR THE LOCAL CARIBBEAN WATERS. && .SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PR...NONE. VI...NONE. && SNELL
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 600 AM AST TUE SEP 7 2004 PRZ001>013-AMZ710>750-081000- 600 AM AST TUE SEP 7 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO. .TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STAGNANT...UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN PREVAILING OVER THE LOCAL AREA IN RECENT DAYS WILL COME TO A CLOSE. ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND WEAK WINDS IN THE LOW LEVELS...ALONG WITH THE FAVORABLE POSITION OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO THE WEST...WERE THE PRIME INGREDIENTS FOR SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS. BUT RELATIVELY DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR...A GRADUAL INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL WINDS...AND THE LESSENING GRIP OF THE SAME UPPER TROUGH MOVING WELL TO THE WEST OF THE AREA...WILL MEAN FEWER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND MORE SUNSHINE. HOWEVER...THERE IS STILL A CHANCE OF ISOLATED URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING OVER THE CENTRAL AND WESTERN INTERIOR SECTIONS OF THE ISLAND THIS AFTERNOON. DETERORIATING MARINE CONDITIONS OVER THE CARIBBEAN WATERS ARE EXPECTED BY LATE TODAY...IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE IVAN ENTERING THE SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED TODAY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE PASSAGE OF HURRICANE IVAN THROUGH THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA WEDNESDAY WILL RESULT IN A SUDDEN INCREASE IN WINDS TONIGHT ...WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO TOMORROW. THE WIND WILL BE ESPECIALLY BRISK ALONG THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN COASTS OF THE ISLAND AND PERHAPS EVEN OVER HIGHER TERRAIN. DANGEROUS MARINE CONDITIONS OVER THE CARIBBEAN WATERS ARE ALSO EXPECTED...WHICH MAY INCLUDE ROUGH AND CONFUSED SEAS...WINDS APPROACHING TROPICAL STORM FORCE OVER THE FAR OFFSHORE WATERS...SEAS UP TO 9 TO 10 FEET...AND THE ARRIVAL OF SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY SWELLS. THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE MAY PROMPT THE ISSUANCE OF A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR A PORTION OF THE SOUTHERN AND EASTERN COASTS OF PUERTO RICO LATER TODAY FOR DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS EXPECTED BY TOMORROW. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL...SOME OF WHICH COULD PRODUCE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON. WEATHER CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BEGINNING THURSDAY...AND NO OTHER SERIOUS WEATHER HAZARDS ARE FORESEEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. VIZ001-002-AMZ710>730-081000- 600 AM AST TUE SEP 7 2004 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS. .TODAY AND TONIGHT... THE STAGNANT...UNSETTLED WEATHER PATTERN PREVAILING OVER THE LOCAL AREA IN RECENT DAYS WILL COME TO A CLOSE. ABUNDANT MOISTURE AND WEAK WINDS IN THE LOW LEVELS...ALONG WITH THE FAVORABLE POSITION OF AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH TO THE WEST...WERE THE PRIME INGREDIENTS FOR SCATTERED TO SOMETIMES NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS. BUT RELATIVELY DRIER LOW LEVEL AIR...A GRADUAL INCREASE IN LOW LEVEL WINDS...AND THE LESSENING GRIP OF THE SAME UPPER TROUGH MOVING WELL TO THE WEST OF THE AREA...WILL MEAN FEWER SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS AND A LITTLE MORE SUNSHINE BY THIS AFTERNOON. DETERORIATING MARINE CONDITIONS OVER THE CARIBBEAN WATERS ARE EXPECTED BY LATE TODAY...TO INCLUDE STRONG WINDS...ROUGH SEAS AND BUILDING SEAS. ALL OF THIS WILL BE IN RESPONSE TO HURRICANE IVANS ARRIVAL OVER THE SOUTHEASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA LATER THIS MORNING. .SPOTTER CALL TO ACTION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION IS NOT ANTICIPATED. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN... THE PASSAGE OF HURRICANE IVAN THROUGH THE EASTERN CARIBBEAN SEA WEDNESDAY WILL RESULT IN A SUDDEN INCREASE IN WINDS LATER THIS AFTERNOON ...WHICH WILL CONTINUE INTO TOMORROW. ADDITIONALLY... DANGEROUS MARINE CONDITIONS OVER THE CARIBBEAN WATERS ARE ALSO EXPECTED...WHICH MAY INCLUDE ROUGH AND CONFUSED SEAS...WINDS APPROACHING TROPICAL STORM FORCE OVER THE FAR OFFSHORE WATERS...SEAS UP TO 9 TO 10 FEET...AND THE ARRIVAL OF SOUTH TO SOUTHEASTERLY SWELLS. THE CONDITIONS DESCRIBED ABOVE MAY PROMPT THE ISSUANCE OF A HIGH SURF ADVISORY FOR ALL OR A PORTION OF THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS LATER TODAY. LOCALLY HEAVY RAINS ARE POSSIBLE AS WELL...SOME OF WHICH COULD PRODUCE SPOTTY STREET FLOODING ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS. WEATHER CONDITIONS SHOULD IMPROVE BEGINNING THURSDAY...AND NO OTHER SERIOUS WEATHER HAZARDS ARE FORESEEN THROUGH THE WEEKEND. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES. FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION...VISIT THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE WEB SITE FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AT (ALL LOWERCASE LETTERS): HTTP://WWW.SRH.NOAA.GOV/SJU. KIMBERLAIN
4 high surf. Local standard time, as filed.
Coastal flooding was reported along Playa de Ponce, in the municipality of Ponce . The high surf eroded part of the Enrique Gonzales Plaza. The Canda restaurant was also lightly flooded.
High surf affected the boardwalk in the municipality of Guayanilla.
High surf penetrated one foot into the backyard of two homes in Barrio Manzanilla. The nearby coastal road was eroded by the surf.
Coastal flooding was reported at Playita Cortada in the municipality of Santa Isabel. Three families were relocated to higher ground.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2004Every state in 2004This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, September 2004
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: 5423624, 5423625, 5423626, 5423627.