Low relative humidities values combined with moderate to strong winds and a lack of rainfall resulted in numerous and localized wildfires across the west, west interior, southwest, south and southeast sections of Puerto Rico. A total of 314 wildfires were reported between January 1-25.
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.
Low relative humidities values combined with moderate to strong winds and a lack of rainfall resulted in numerous and localized wildfires across the west, west interior, southwest, south and southeast sections of Puerto Rico. A total of 314 wildfires were reported between January 1-25. A total of 4,868 acres of land were burned. Damages were estimated at 371,531 dollars. The Ponce and Guayama zones were the most impacted with a total of 314 wildfires and losses totaling 363,181 dollars.
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 31, 2:43 PM AST, 9 hours 17 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
243 PM AST FRI DEC 31 2010
.SYNOPSIS...HIGH PRESSURE OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC TO MAINTAIN
MODERATE NORTHEAST WIND FLOW ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA. BROKEN PATCHY CLOUDINESS
TO SINK SOUTHWEST ACROSS THE AREA TO PROVIDE PERIODS OF LIGHT
PASSING SHOWERS FOR BOTH PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS
THROUGH NEW YEARS WEEKEND. SIMILAR CONDITIONS ARE ANTICIPATED THROUGH
AT LEAST THE MIDDLE OF NEXT WEEK.
&&
.DISCUSSION...NARROW BANDS OF PATCHY CLOUDINESS AND SCATTERED
LIGHT SHOWERS ASSOCIATED WITH THE TAIL REMNANTS OF DISSIPATING
COLD FRONT OVER THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC. THIS FEATURE TO PROVIDE
ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE FOR NORTHEAST WINDS TO GENERATE
SCATTERED LIGHT SHOWERS ACROSS THE USVI AND THE NORTH HALF OF
PUERTO RICO THROUGH THIS NEW YEARS WEEKEND. ALTHOUGH NO CONTINUOUS
OR HEAVY PRECIPITATION IS EXPECTED...THE PASSING SHOWERS AT NIGHT
AND DURING THE MORNING WILL CAUSE LIGHT RAINFALL ACCUMULATIONS.
GFS MODEL MAINTAINS THIS WEATHER PATTERN THROUGH THE MIDDLE OF THE
WEEK. AS WE APPROACH NEXT WEEKEND LOW LEVEL MOISTURE SURGES FROM
THE SOUTHEAST.
&&
.AVIATION...MAINLY VFR CONDS EXPECTED ACROSS THE LOCAL AREA ...
WITH ISOLD TO WDLY SCT SHRA. SCT TO OCNL BKN CLOUDS BTW 020-050
EXPECTED WITH BKN LYRS ABOVE TO 8 THSD FT. LOW LEVEL WINDS FROM
NORTHEAST AT 15-20 KTS EXPECTED.
&&
.MARINE...HAZARDOUS AND CONFUSED MARINE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE
FOR LARGE PORTIONS OF THE LOCAL MARINE ZONES THROUGH THE HOLIDAY
WEEKEND DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF FRESH TO LOCALLY STRONG TRADE
WINDS AND DECREASING NORTHERLY SWELLS. LATEST BOY REPORTS
INDICATING LONG PERIOD NORTH SWELLS OF 7 TO 8 FEET WHICH SHOULD
SLOWLY CONTNOUE TO DECREASE THROUGH TUESDAY.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU 70 80 71 81 / 40 40 30 30
STT 70 83 72 83 / 30 30 30 30
&&
.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL 6 PM AST THIS EVENING FOR SAN JUAN
AND VICINITY.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY UNTIL NOON AST SATURDAY FOR NORTHWEST.
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY FROM NOON SUNDAY TO 3 PM AST MONDAY FOR
NORTHWEST.
VI...NONE.
&&
09/37HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 619 AM AST FRI DEC 31 2010 AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-011030- 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- 619 AM AST FRI DEC 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN EXPOSED COASTLINES OF PUERTO RICO AND CULEBRA...BUT WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE TODAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM FOR LARGE BREAKING WAVES AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LONG PERIOD SWELLS ALONG WITH FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS ON THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS AND CARIBBEAN PASSAGES UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-011030- ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX- NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS- 619 AM AST FRI DEC 31 2010 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR THE U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS AND THE ADJACENT COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DANGEROUS SURF CONDITIONS CONTINUE ACROSS THE NORTHERN EXPOSED COASTLINES OF THE NORTHERN U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS...BUT WILL SLOWLY SUBSIDE TODAY. A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 9 AM FOR LARGE BREAKING WAVES AND DANGEROUS RIP CURRENTS.. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...SATURDAY THROUGH THURSDAY LONG PERIOD SWELLS ALONG WITH FRESH TO STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE HAZARDOUS BOATING CONDITIONS ON THE LOCAL ATLANTIC WATERS AND CARIBBEAN PASSAGES UNTIL EARLY NEXT WEEK. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT... SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED. GV
6 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.
A total of 159 wildfires were reported in the municipality of Ponce during the period from January 1-25. Over eight hundred and twelve acres of grassland were burned.
A total of 155 wildfires were reported in the Guayama zone during the period from January 1-25. Over four thousand and one hundred acres of grassland were burned.
A total of 65 wildfires were reported in the municipalities of A asco, Moca, Rincon, Aguada, Mayaguez, Hormigueros and San Germ n. Over 127 acres were burned.
A total of 144 wildfires were reported in the municipalities of San Sebastian, Sabana Grande, Las Marias, and Maricao. Over 122 acres were burned.
One wildfire was reported in the Ramey, Aguadilla area. Two acres were burned.
A total of 29 wildfires were reported in the municipalities of Cabo Rojo and Lajas. Over 511 acres were burned.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2011Every state in 2011This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, January 2011
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: 281571, 281572, 281576, 281578, 281580, 281583.