The tail end of a prefrontal boundary pushed into the local area during the early morning, bringing unstable weather conditions. Favorable upper level wind flow combined with the sea breeze to produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across the San Juan metropolitan area.
Every event with a place to put it. Tap one for its entry below.
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 episode as NWS SJU wrote it up.
The tail end of a prefrontal boundary pushed into the local area during the early morning, bringing unstable weather conditions. Favorable upper level wind flow combined with the sea breeze to produced numerous showers and thunderstorms across the San Juan metropolitan area. Very heavy rains lead to significant rainfall accumulations and runoff in a short period of time, producing flash flooding. Many local roads were impassable for several hours and some rivers in the San Juan area metro area overflowed their banks. Flooded homes and automobiles were reported, and some ground floor stores in the San Patricio area of Guaynabo. The flooding along the river Rio Piedras in the San Juan Metro Area was extreme as motorists were forced to abandon their cars on flooded roadways. According to preliminary USGS data, the Rio Piedras river exceeded flood stage at the El Senorial and Hato Rey locations. The Hato Rey USGS precipitation sensor recorded close to 3.5 inches between 1230 and 1530 AST. Las Curias at Damsite near Rio Piedras recorded 4.44 inches between 1315 and 1645 AST.
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 Nov 15, 9:54 AM AST, 3 hours 20 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 954 AM AST SUN NOV 15 2009 .UPDATE...SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING TAIL END OF FRONTAL BOUNDARY PUSHING INTO FORECAST AREA DURING THE OVERNIGHT...WITH AREAS OF DEEP CONVECTION OVER THE NORTHWESTERN EXTREME OF THE FORECAST AREA...AND ALSO OVER THE CARIBBEAN PASSAGE WATERS BETWEEN PR AND THE USVI. MORNING SOUNDING SHOWED SWLY FLOW FROM THE SURFACE ALL THE WAY UP TO 500 MB...SHOWING DEEP LOW PRESSURE REMAINS STACKED OVER THE OPEN ATLANTIC NORTH OF THE REGION. FOR TODAY EXPECTING TS ACTIVITY TO CONTINUE OVER THE PASSAGE WATERS AND NEAR THE USVI...WITH AFTERNOON CONVERGENCE OVER THE NORTHERN COAST OF PUERTO RICO. FLOW WILL BE NEARLY ZERO AT THE LOW LEVELS...WITH SEA BREEZE LIKELY PROVIDING MOST OF THE DIRECTIONAL COMPONENT. THIS COULD RESULT IN CONVECTION PLACED OVER THE INTERIOR MOUNTAINS...WITH ERRATIC SWLY FLOW AFTER DEVELOPMENT. LOW LEVEL CAP HAS BEEN COMPLETELY WIPED OUT...AND WITH AMPLE HEATING THIS MORNING...EXPECTING AN ACTIVE ROUND OF CONVECTION AND DECENT THREAT OF HEAVY RAINFALL THIS AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION...A VCSH OR VCTS WILL BE LIKELY OVR AND AROUND TJSJ AND TJBQ BTWN 117-21Z. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT ALL SITES DURING THE DAY. A LIGHT SE LOW LVL FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE FLYING AREA AND MAY SEE SOME VA GAS EMISSIONS AND STEAM FROM THE MONTSERRAT VOLCANO EN ROUTE BTWN TRPG AND TKPK DURING AFTERNOON HOURS. ASH CONCENTRATIONS SHOULD BE MINIMAL. && .PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 514 AM AST SUN NOV 15 2009/ SYNOPSIS...LOW PRESSURE CENTER ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN ATLANTIC THIS MORNING...WILL MOVE SLOWLY SOUTHEAST APPROACHING TO THE LOCAL ISLANDS...WHILE WEAKENING DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THE ASSOCIATED SURFACE TROUGH HAS BECOME DIFFUSE AND WILL MOVE ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS MONDAY AND TUESDAY. DISCUSSION...ABUNDANT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO ADVECT ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS BY THE PREVAILING SOUTHWESTERLY WIND FLOW. THIS MOISTURE WILL INDUCE THE DEVELOPMENT OF SCATTERED TO NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS SOUTHERN AND EASTERN SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO AS WELL AS ACROSS VIEQUES...CULEBRA AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS THIS MORNING...AND ACROSS INTERIOR AND NORTHWESTERN PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON. THE PREVAILING SOUTHEASTERLY WIND FLOW WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE HIGHER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG THE NORTHERN COASTAL MUNICIPALITIES OF PUERTO RICO...INCLUDING THE SAN JUAN METROPOLITAN AREA THIS AFTERNOON. THE LOW PRESSURE CENTER ACROSS THE NORTHWESTERN ATLANTIC THIS MORNING...WILL MOVE SOUTHEASTWARD AND WEAKENING OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. AN UPPER LEVEL TROUGH EXTENDS FROM THE UPPER LOW SOUTHWARD ACROSS PUERTO RICO AND THEN WEST SOUTHWESTWARD ACROSS THE CENTRAL CARIBBEAN THIS MORNING. THIS FEATURE WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE ABUNDANT MOISTURE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT. A WEAK AND DIFFUSE SURFACE TROUGH ACROSS HISPANIOLA WILL BE PUSHED FURTHER SOUTHEAST ACROSS THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS MONDAY AND TUESDAY...AS A STRONG HIGH PRESSURE BUILDS ACROSS THE WESTERN ATLANTIC. LIMITED CLOUDS OR CONVECTION IS ASSOCIATED WITH THIS TROUGH AT THIS TIME. BOTH THE NAM AND GFS COMPUTER MODELS...INDICATED THAT LOW LEVEL MOISTURE WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS THE REGION TODAY AND TONIGHT WITH GFS LAYER PW VALUES OF AROUND 2.0 INCHES. THESE VALUES WILL DECREASE BY MONDAY TO AROUND 1.75 INCHES AND WILL DECREASE FURTHER BY TUESDAY TO AROUND 1.5 INCHES. LOW LEVEL WINDS WILL CONTINUE FROM THE SE DIRECTION THROUGH THE MOST PART OF THE WEEK. A NEW NORTH SWELL SURGE HAS REACHED THE NORTHERN EXPOSED COASTLINES OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS...BUT AT THIS MOMENT...NOT HIGH SURF ADVISORY CRITERIA IS EXPECTED. AVIATION...A PASSING SHRA AND ISOLD TSRA WILL BRING BRIEF MVFR CONDS TO TISX...TIST...TUPJ AND SURROUNDING WATERS AS WELL AS VCNTY OF TNCM AND TKPK AT LEAST UNTIL 15/12Z. PREVAILING VFR WILL HOWEVER PREVAIL ACROSS THE REMAINDER OF THE TAF SITES THROUGH 15/14Z. A LIGHT SE LOW LVL FLOW WILL PREVAIL ACROSS THE FLYING AREA AND MAY SEE SOME VA GAS EMISSIONS AND STEAM FROM THE MONTSERRAT VOLCANO ENROUTE BTWN TRPG... TKPK AND TISX DURNG LATE MORNING AND AFTERNOON HOURS. IN ADDITION... A VCSH OR VCTS WILL BE LIKELY OVR AND AROUND TJSJ AND TJBQ BTWN 15/18-22Z. OTHERWISE VFR CONDITIONS EXPECTED TO PREVAIL AT ALL SITES DURING THE DAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SJU 88 75 86 73 / 30 20 40 40 STT 86 77 84 76 / 40 40 50 50 && .SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PR...NONE. VI...NONE. && 93/64
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 602 AM AST SUN NOV 15 2009 AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-161015- 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- 602 AM AST SUN NOV 15 2009 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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-161015- ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX- NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS- 602 AM AST SUN NOV 15 2009 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...MONDAY THROUGH SATURDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The San Juan radar (TJUA), 33 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 17:11 UTC.
13 flash flood, 5 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Urban flooding of low lying areas along Highway 2, at Barrio Juan Domingo, near Fort Buchanan, in front Shelys Pizza was reported. One automobile and its occupants were stranded.
Street flooding was reported along Meadow lane, Garden Hills, in Guaynabo.
High rainfall runoff along the northern De Diego Avenue in Puerto Nuevo combined with the Puerto Nuevo river overflow, flooding the northern end of De Diego Avenue, under the PR-22 bridge underpass. An automobile and its two occupants were stranded.
Small stream adjacent to Gonzalez Giusti Avenue overflowed its banks and flooded the Party City store parking area in San Patricio. People were stranded in their vehicles.
Low lying areas under the Martinez Nadal Highway bridge at the intersection of Ortegon street in the San Patrico area were flooded. An automobile and its occupants were stranded.
Road flooding was reported at the intersection of Andalucia street and Roosevelt Avenue.
San Patricio Shopping center was closed due to flooded waters at least 6 feet deep in some areas.
Homes flooded in Mariquita sector. Highway 199 flooded and impassable.
Road flooding was reported along Tabonuco Street, San Patricio.
Road flooding was reported along Tabonuco Street, San Patricio.
Road flooding was reported along road 199 marginal, at the entrance of Borinquen Gardens neigborhood.
Road flooding was reported along Roosevelt Avenue in front of the Police Headquarters.
Road flooding was reported along Escorial Street, Caparra heights in San Juan.
John F. Kennedy Avenue was reported flooded.
Small stream Quebrada Honda was reported over Highway 2 in Vega Alta.
Road flooding was reported on Columbia street, University Gardens, Rio Piedras.
Flooding was reported along the Jesus T. Pineiro Avenue in front of the Luis Munoz Marin Park.
A resident of Culebra Island indicated through an on-line web site that since 1:30 am the island had received 9.60 inches of rain, and that at times the rain was falling at rates faster than two inches an hour. He also indicated the soil was saturated, and the run-off was turning the bay an ugly brown.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2009Every state in 2009This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, November 2009
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 2026-10-01. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 196770, 202393, 196776, 202364, 196798, 202396, 196799, 196800, 203072, 203073, 202398, 203076, 203074, 203062, 203095, 203075, 203068, 203341.