Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, March 11, 2010

Name: Flash Flooding and Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, March 11, 2010
Start: 2010-03-11T11:37
End: 2010-03-11T17:45
Location: Puerto Rico

March 11, 2010 · NWS SJU · 5 events in 4 counties and zones

Dissipating and nearly stationary frontal boundary extended across the Leeward Islands west northwest to just south of Puerto Rico. Numerous showers occurred across the northeast and eastern sections.

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: $5,000
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 5

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.

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 Mar 11, 5:28 AM AST, 6 hours 9 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 11, 5:28 AM AST, 6 hours 9 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
528 AM AST THU MAR 11 2010

.SYNOPSIS...STATIONARY AND WEAKENING FRONTAL BOUNDARY EXTENDING FROM
SOUTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS...EAST NORTHEASTWARD ACROSS THE ATLANTIC
WILL CONTINUE TO DISSIPATE TODAY AND TOMORROW. MID TO UPPER LEVEL
RIDGE WILL BUILD ACROSS THE REGION DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS INDUCING
AN INCREASE IN WINDS AND LESS SHOWER ACTIVITY ACROSS THE FA FOR THE
UPCOMING WEEKEND.

&&

.DISCUSSION...THE REMNANTS OF THE WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS THIS MORNING...WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
SOME CLOUDINESS AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE LOCAL
ISLANDS AND COASTAL WATERS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS MOISTURE
IN COMBINATION WITH SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL EFFECTS WILL
AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS ACROSS PARTS OF
THE LOCAL ISLANDS TODAY...BUT NO WIDESPREAD RAINFALL IS EXPECTED AT
THIS TIME. THE FRONTAL REMNANTS WILL FINALLY LOSE IDENTITY WITH A
GRADUAL DECREASE IN MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER THROUGH THE UPCOMING
WEEKEND. HOWEVER...THIS BREAK IN CLOUD COVER WILL HELP PROVIDE
SUFFICIENT DAYTIME HEATING WHICH WILL ENHANCE AFTERNOON AND LATE
EVENING SHOWER DEVELOPMENT. LATEST TJSJ 11/00Z SOUNDING INDICATED A
NORTHEAST LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW UP TO 15 KNOTS...BECOMING
SOUTHWESTWARD AND STRONGER AT 5K FEET AND ALOFT. LOW LEVEL WINDS
WILL BECOME MORE EASTERLY BY FRIDAY AND SOUTHEASTERLY BY THE
WEEKEND...PRODUCING AGAIN WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG THE
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO. LATEST MODELS SUGGEST SOME
MOISTURE ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS BY MID WEEK.

&&

.AVIATION...THE REMNANTS OF THE WEAK FRONTAL BOUNDARY ACROSS THE
SOUTHERN LEEWARD ISLANDS THIS MORNING...WILL CONTINUE TO PRODUCE
SOME CLOUDINESS AND ISOLATED TO SCATTERED SHOWERS ACROSS THE LOCAL
ISLANDS AND COASTAL WATERS DURING THE NEXT FEW DAYS. THIS MOISTURE
IN COMBINATION WITH SEA BREEZE DEVELOPMENT AND LOCAL EFFECTS WILL
AID IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF LIGHT TO MODERATE SHOWERS ACROSS PARTS OF
THE LOCAL ISLANDS TODAY...BUT NO WIDESPREAD RAINFALL IS EXPECTED AT
THIS TIME. THE FRONTAL REMNANTS WILL FINALLY LOSE IDENTITY WITH A
GRADUAL DECREASE IN MOISTURE AND CLOUD COVER THROUGH THE UPCOMING
WEEKEND. HOWEVER...THIS BREAK IN CLOUD COVER WILL HELP PROVIDE
SUFFICIENT DAYTIME HEATING WHICH WILL ENHANCE AFTERNOON AND LATE
EVENING SHOWER DEVELOPMENT. LATEST TJSJ 11/00Z SOUNDING INDICATED A
NORTHEAST LOW LEVEL WIND FLOW UP TO 15 KNOTS...BECOMING
SOUTHWESTWARD AND STRONGER AT 5K FEET AND ALOFT. LOW LEVEL WINDS
WILL BECOME MORE EASTERLY BY FRIDAY AND SOUTHEASTERLY BY THE
WEEKEND...PRODUCING AGAIN WARMER THAN NORMAL TEMPERATURES ALONG THE
NORTHERN SECTIONS OF PUERTO RICO. LATEST MODELS SUGGEST SOME
MOISTURE ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS BY MID WEEK.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU  84  75  85  75 /  20  20  10  20
STT  84  75  84  76 /  20  20  10  20

&&

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

09/72

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 11, 5:10 AM AST, 6 hours 27 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN
ISLANDS
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
510 AM AST THU MAR 11 2010

AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-120915-
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-
510 AM AST THU MAR 11 2010

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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-120915-
ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX-
NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS-
510 AM AST THU MAR 11 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...FRIDAY THROUGH WEDNESDAY

NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME.

.SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...

SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 11, 11:24 AM AST, 13 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
1124 AM AST THU MAR 11 2010

..TIME...   ...EVENT...      ...CITY LOCATION...     ...LAT.LON...
..DATE...   ....MAG....      ..COUNTY LOCATION..ST.. ...SOURCE....
            ..REMARKS..

0930 AM     FLASH FLOOD      FAJARDO                 18.33N 65.66W
03/11/2010                   FAJARDO            PR   EMERGENCY MNGR

            FAJARDO RIVER OUT OF ITS BANKS WITH FLOODING REPORTED AT
            THE INTERSECTION OF ROUTES 3 AND 53.

0930 AM     FLOOD            RIO GRANDE              18.38N 65.84W
03/11/2010                   RIO GRANDE         PR   PUBLIC

            FLOODING REPORTED AT THE INTERSECTION ROUTES 3 AND 53 IN
            RIO GRANDE NEAR THE RALPH MALL WITH OVER 2 FEET OF
            STANDING WATER.

1115 AM     FLASH FLOOD      RIO GRANDE              18.38N 65.84W
03/11/2010                   RIO GRANDE         PR   PUBLIC

            MAMEYES RIVER OUT OF ITS BANKS AT ROUTE 191 THAT GOES
            INTO EL YUNQUE NATIONAL RAIN FOREST FLOODED.

&&

LROSA

The radar

The San Juan radar (TJUA), 38 km away, was scanning. The volume nearest the first event began at 15:37 UTC.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

3 flash flood, 2 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Canovanas

When: March 11, 11:37 AM AST to 12:37 PM AST
Where: Canovanas County, 5.75 mi NNW of Canovanas
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.411, -65.901

Road 951 from Canovanas to Loiza was reported flooded.

Flash Flood, Rio Grande

When: March 11, 11:44 AM AST to 5:45 PM AST
Where: Rio Grande County, 2.34 mi NE of Rio Grande to 2.4 mi ENE of Rio Grande
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.369, -65.770

Road 191 leading to the El Yunque rain forest was reported flooded at Barrio Palmer.

Flash Flood, Luquillo

When: March 11, 12:43 PM AST to 5:45 PM AST
Where: Luquillo County, 1.34 mi N of Luquillo to 1.33 mi N of Luquillo
Cause: Heavy Rain
Property damage: $5,000
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.369, -65.719

Road 992 in front of El Amar neighborhood in Luquillo was reported flooded. One vehicle and its driver were stranded in front of El Tropezon small business.

Heavy Rain, Canovanas

When: March 11, 1:58 PM AST to 3:58 PM AST
Where: Canovanas County, 4.95 mi N of Canovanas
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.401, -65.890

Girasol street in Villa Hugo community in Canovanas was reported flooded.

Flash Flood, Fajardo

When: March 11, 2:38 PM AST to 5:45 PM AST
Where: Fajardo County, 3.42 mi WSW of Fajardo to 3.38 mi WSW of Fajardo
Cause: Heavy Rain
Reported by: Emergency Manager
Coordinates: 18.297, -65.696

Road 983 at Barrio Majagua in Fajardo was reported flooded.

What these are

Heavy Rain: Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
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

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2010 Every state in 2010 This day in weather history Warnings in Puerto Rico, March 2010

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: 220471, 221334, 221337, 221236, 221338.