Debris Flow and Flooding in Puerto Rico, December 13, 2008

Name: Debris Flow and Flooding in Puerto Rico, December 13, 2008
Start: 2008-12-13T16:55
End: 2008-12-13T23:34
Location: Puerto Rico

December 13, 2008 · NWS SJU · 8 events in 3 counties and zones

Where it happened

Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.

Tornadoes
Tropical storms and surge
Floods
Wind
Hail
Winter weather
Heat and drought
Cold
Fire, smoke and dust
Marine and coastal
Other

Open the live radar over this ground

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: $115,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 8

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 band of moisture that moved across Puerto Rico combined with local effects and favorable conditions at the middle and upper levels of the atmosphere and produced scattered to numerous afternoon showers and isolated thunderstorm over the north central and northwest sections of Puerto Rico which lingered through the late evening. Doppler weather radar, USGS rainfall sensors and emergency managers indicated that rainfall amounts between 3 to 5 inches fell across the municipalities of Camuy and Hatillo. The heavy downpours caused urban and small stream flooding with reports of impassable roadways and flooded homes in the communities of Camuy, Hatillo and Florida.

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 Dec 13, 3:26 PM AST, 1 hour 29 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Dec 13, 3:26 PM AST, 1 hour 29 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
326 PM AST SAT DEC 13 2008

.DISCUSSION...ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS AND ISOLATED
THUNDERSTORMS DEVELOPED OVER THE NORTHWEST PORTIONS OF PUERTO
RICO...MAINLY AFFECTING THE MUNICIPALITIES OF ARES AND SAN
SEBASTIAN. THE SATELLITES AND RADAR IMAGES ALSO SHOWED CU LINES
DEVELOPED OVER THE LOCAL ISLANDS AND OVER EL YUNQUE. THE CU LINE
THAT DEVELOPED OVER EL YUNQUE SPREAD WEST NORTHWEST AFFECTING
PORTIONS OF THE SAN JUAN METRO AREA. MOST OF THESE SHOWERS ARE
EXPECTED TO DIMINISH BEFORE SUNSET.

REMNANTS OF THE COLD FRONT NOW EXTENDING NORTHWARD FROM LA HIPANIOLA
NORTH TO THE NORTHERN ATLANTIC THIS AFTERNOON...ARE EXPECTED TO
MOVE ACROSS THE LOCAL WATERS ON MONDAY AND TUESDAY. THE PROXIMITY
OF THIS FEATURE WILL SHIFT THE WIND TO A MORE NORTHEAST COMPONENT
LATE TONIGHT THROUGH SUNDAY NIGHT. THEREFORE EXPECT MOST OF THE
WEATHER ACTIVITY TO OCCUR DURING THE OVERNIGHT AND MORNING HOURS
ALONG THE NORTHERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO THROUGH THE INCOMING
WEEKEND.

&&

.AVIATION...PERIODS OF MVFR WILL CONTINUE ACROSS TJBQ AND TJMZ UNTIL
AT LEAST 23Z THIS EVENING. AFTER THAT TIME...EXPECT PREVAILING VFR
CONDITIONS TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS AND AT ALL LOCAL TAF
SITES. LATEST TJSJ 12Z SOUNDING INDICATED A SOUTHEASTERLY WIND
FLOW...UP TO 20 KNOTS...FROM THE SURFACE TO AROUND 15K FEET...
BECOMING NORTHWESTERLY AND STRONGER...UP TO 60 KNOTS...ABOVE THAT
LEVEL.

&&

.MARINE...ROUGH AND HAZARDOUS SEA CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE LOCAL
ATLANTIC WATERS AND CARIBBEAN PASSAGES FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL DAYS...AS
EAST NORTHEAST SWELLS PERSIST ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU  72  83  71  82 /  40  40  30  40
STT  74  84  73  83 /  20  20  20  40

&&

.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...NONE.
VI...NONE.
&&

72/10/

Hazardous weather outlook, Dec 13, 5:58 AM AST, 10 hours 57 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
558 AM AST SAT DEC 13 2008

AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-141000-
SAN JUAN AND VICINITY-NORTHEAST-SOUTHEAST-EASTERN INTERIOR-
NORTH CENTRAL-CENTRAL INTERIOR-PONCE AND VICINITY-NORTHWEST-
WESTERN INTERIOR-MAYAGUEZ AND VICINITY-SOUTHWEST-CULEBRA-VIEQUES-
THE NEARSHORE AND OFF SHORE ATLANTIC AND CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS-
558 AM AST SAT DEC 13 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE
ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-141000-
ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX-
NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS-
558 AM AST SAT DEC 13 2008

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND
THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS.

.DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SUNDAY THROUGH FRIDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

6 flood, 1 heavy rain, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Camuy

When: December 13, 4:55 PM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where: Camuy County, Camuy
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.420, -66.850

Urban flooding was reported at Barrio Zanjas, road 486 km 1.9, in the municipality of Camuy.

Flood, Camuy

When: December 13, 5:15 PM AST to 10:15 PM AST
Where: Camuy County, 3.91 mi N of Camuy to 3.9 mi N of Camuy
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $24,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.476, -66.857

Four homes were reported flooded at Barrio Puente Salsa, Parcelas Espies, near road 119, Km 0.4 in Camuy.

Debris Flow, North Central

When: December 13, 5:35 PM AST
Where: North Central forecast zone
Reported by: Emergency Manager

Emergency Management reported a mudslide at Bo. Zanjas, Pipo Crespo sector in the municipality of Camuy.

Flood, Camuy

When: December 13, 5:59 PM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where: Camuy County, 4 mi NNW of Camuy to 3.89 mi NNW of Camuy
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $6,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.476, -66.864

One home was reported flooded at Barrio Membrillo in Camuy.

Flood, Hatillo

When: December 13, 6:04 PM AST to 11:04 PM AST
Where: Hatillo County, 3.33 mi NNE of Hatillo to 3.35 mi NNE of Hatillo
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $15,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.462, -66.774

Homes were reported flooded at Barrio Corcovado, near road 492, km 29.0 in the municipality of Hatillo.

Flood, Camuy

When: December 13, 6:30 PM AST to 11:30 PM AST
Where: Camuy County, 4.05 mi NNW of Camuy to 3.92 mi NNW of Camuy
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $12,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.475, -66.870

Two homes were reported flooded near Estancias de Membrillo. A car and its occupants were reported stranded in flood waters along Highway 2.

Flood, Camuy

When: December 13, 6:34 PM AST to 11:34 PM AST
Where: Camuy County, 2.82 mi N of Camuy to 2.9 mi N of Camuy
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $48,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.461, -66.849

Eight homes were reported flooded at Barrio Zanja, near road 119 and 486 in Camuy.

Flood, Hatillo

When: December 13, 6:54 PM AST to 11:00 PM AST
Where: Hatillo County, 4.72 mi NNW of Hatillo to 4.78 mi NNW of Hatillo
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $10,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.485, -66.822

Several homes were reported flooded along Highway 2 in Hatillo.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Flood: Flooding that develops more slowly than a flash flood: rivers leaving their banks, or water standing over land for an extended time.
Debris Flow: A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2008 Every state in 2008 This day in weather history Warnings in Puerto Rico, December 2008

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: 156169, 158354, 156174, 158355, 156179, 158357, 158358, 158359.