A period of localized heavy rain occurred on April 23rd and 24th which resulted in significant small stream, urban flooding and debris flow in areas of Interior Puerto Rico. Flooding on the Rio Loco in Yauco on April 23rd claimed some lives as a vehicle was swept away at a low water crossing.
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.
A period of localized heavy rain occurred on April 23rd and 24th which resulted in significant small stream, urban flooding and debris flow in areas of Interior Puerto Rico. Flooding on the Rio Loco in Yauco on April 23rd claimed some lives as a vehicle was swept away at a low water crossing. An old frontal trough and its associated moist and unstable air mass lingered across the area coupled with a mid to upper level disturbance to the north. Rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches were reported across the central and western interior of the island.
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 Apr 23, 3:12 PM AST, 4 hours 48 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 312 PM AST FRI APR 23 2010 .SYNOPSIS...MID TO UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE WILL MOVE ACROSS OR JUST NORTH OF THE LOCAL AREA LATE TONIGHT THROUGH THE FIRST PART OF SATURDAY...BEFORE LIFTING SLOWLY OUT TO THE NORTHEAST LATER SATURDAY AND SATURDAY NIGHT. BEHIND THIS FEATURE...A MID TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL GRADUALLY BUILD ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA SUNDAY AND MONDAY AND SHOULD LINGER THROUGH AT LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK. && .DISCUSSION...OLD FRONTAL TROUGH/CONVERGENCE ZONE AND ASSOCIATED MOIST AND UNSTABLE AIR MASS WILL LINGER ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA TONIGHT THROUGH AT LEAST SATURDAY AND PROBABLY SUNDAY AS WELL... BEFORE A GRADUAL...OVERALL AIR MASS DRYING TAKES PLACE EARLY NEXT WEEK. FOR TONIGHT AND SATURDAY...MOISTURE AND INSTABILITY SHOULD COMBINE WITH AFOREMENTIONED MID TO UPPER LEVEL DISTURBANCE AND LOCAL EFFECTS TO MAINTAIN A GOOD DEAL OF CLOUDINESS...SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS OVER PARTS OF THE LOCAL ISLANDS. FOR SATURDAY NIGHT AND ESPECIALLY SUNDAY...BUILDING HIGH PRESSURE SHOULD BEGIN TO CAP CONVECTION A BIT...BUT STILL SHOULD BE ENOUGH MOISTURE IN COMBINATION WITH LOCAL EFFECTS...TO PRODUCE AT LEAST LOCALIZED CLOUDINESS...SHOWERS AND POSSIBLY A COUPLE OF THUNDERSTORMS. LOOKING AHEAD...FOR MONDAY AND TUESDAY AND PROBABLY WEDNESDAY ALSO...COMBINATION OF MID TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE AND AN OVERALL DRIER AND MORE STABLE AIR MASS...SHOULD ALLOW FOR A GENERALLY FAIR AND MAINLY DRY WEATHER PATTERN ACROSS THE FA. HOWEVER...LOCAL EFFECTS WILL STILL BE ABLE TO PRODUCE SOME LIMITED AND LOCALIZED CONVECTION EACH DAY. ADDITIONALLY...THE SURFACE WIND FLOW IS EXPECTED TO BECOME SOUTHEAST DURING THIS TIME AND IF ENOUGH SUNSHINE OCCURS...NORTH COASTAL TEMPERATURES MAY ONCE AGAIN REACH THE LOWER 90S...AS INDICATED BY 12Z MEXJSJ GUIDANCE. && .AVIATION...EXPECT PREVAILING VFR CONDITIONS ACROSS ALL TAF SITES DURING THE NEXT 24 HOURS. BRIEF PERIODS OF MVFR OR EVEN IFR CONDITIONS AND MOUNTAIN OBSCURATIONS ARE EXPECTED...ESPECIALLY ACROSS TJPS...TJMZ...TJBQ...AND TIST DUE TO SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS. MOST SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS WILL DISSIPATE BY 24/00Z. ALSO...BASED ON VISIBLE SATELLITE DATA DURING THE PAST COUPLE OF HOURS...A SMALL PLUME OF VOLCANIC ASH OR STEAM IS MOVING NORTHWEST FROM MONTSERRAT AND IS EXPECTED TO REMAIN CLOSE TO...BUT JUST TO THE WEST OF TKPK FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT FEW HOURS. && .MARINE...GENERALLY EXPECT WINDS OF 18 KNOTS OR LESS AND SEAS OF 6 FEET OR LESS ACROSS THE REGIONAL WATERS THROUGH SUNDAY. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SJU 76 87 75 85 / 30 40 30 30 STT 78 85 77 87 / 30 40 40 40 && .SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PR...NONE. VI...NONE. &&
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 642 AM AST FRI APR 23 2010 AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-241045- 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- 642 AM AST FRI APR 23 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT CLOUDINESS...SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE SOUTHWESTERN OF PUERTO RICO THIS AFTERNOON. DUE TO THE SLOW MOVEMENT AND HIGH MOISTURE CONTENT...SHOWERS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...THEREFORE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING WILL ALSO BE LIKELY. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY CLOUDINESS...SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS ARE EXPECTED MAINLY OVER THE WESTERN INTERIOR OF PUERTO RICO SATURDAY AFTERNOON. THESE SHOWERS WILL BE CAPABLE OF PRODUCING HEAVY RAIN...THEREFORE URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING WILL ALSO BE LIKELY. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-241045- ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX- NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS- 642 AM AST FRI APR 23 2010 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...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.
The San Juan radar (TJUA), 86 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 00:02 UTC.
5 debris flow, 4 flash flood. Local standard time, as filed.
River Rio Loco in Yauco overflowed its banks at a low crossing bridge on road 368 in Barrio Susua Alta, carrying a vehicle and its passenger downstream.
River Rio Grande de Arecibo flooded route 605 near Vivi Arriba, and Route 140 near Paso Palma.
Mudslide in sector Sabana, Highway 811, Barrio Cedro Abajo in Naranjito.
Mudslide in Corozal, Barrio Radio Oro, Los Marreros sector, Highway 156E Km. 2.2.
A mudslide in Barrio Palos Blancos, Dos Bocas sector, Highway 807, Km. 5.4 in Corozal.
A mudslide in Barrio El Verde, Bella Vista sector, Amapola Street, in Rio Grande.
Highway 191 was flooded close to the Caribbean National Forest river. Six to seven persons were stranded.
A mudslide blocked highway 966 at Km 1.6 IN Barrrio Jimenez, Cara del Indio sector, in Rio Grande.
River Cibuco in Vega Alta was flooding roads 620, 647, 675, 676 and 690.
As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.
| Event | Date | Age | Sex | Where | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood, Yauco | 2010-04-23 | 68 | Male | Vehicle/Towed Trailer | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2010Every state in 2010This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, April 2010
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: 226177, 226174, 226342, 226341, 226340, 226339, 226338, 226301, 225589.