Wildfire in Puerto Rico, March 2, 2013

Name: Wildfire in Puerto Rico, March 2, 2013
Start: 2013-03-02T11:57
End: 2013-03-02T11:57
Location: Puerto Rico

March 2, 2013 · NWS SJU · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

Lowest relative humidities were observed due to down slope winds over the northern coast. Minimum relative humidities ranged from 40 to 55 percent.

The toll

Deaths: 0
Injuries: 0
Property damage: None recorded
Crop damage: None recorded
Events: 2

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.

Lowest relative humidities were observed due to down slope winds over the northern coast. Minimum relative humidities ranged from 40 to 55 percent. Several smoke plumes were observed on radar.

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 2, 10:38 AM AST, 1 hour 19 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Mar 2, 10:38 AM AST, 1 hour 19 minutes before

AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
1038 AM AST SAT MAR 2 2013

.UPDATE...VERY DRY CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL TODAY.
LATEST 02/12Z TJSJ SOUNDING CAME VERY DRY WITH PRECIPITABLE WATER
VALUES OF 0.88 INCHES. HIGH CLOUDS WILL CONTINUE TO MOVE ACROSS
THE AREA FROM THE SOUTHWEST...MAINTAINING SOME CLOUDS OVER THE
AREA. FORECAST IS ON TRACK WITH ONGOING WEATHER SITUATION.
THEREFORE...NO CHANGES WERE MADE TO FORECAST GRIDS.

&&

.AVIATION...VFR CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL ACROSS ALL TAF
SITES NEXT 24 HOURS.

&&

.MARINE...TRANQUIL MARINE CONDITIONS WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL THE
REST OF THE DAY WITH SEAS OF 4 FEET OR LESS AND WINDS OF 16 KNOTS
OR LESS ACROSS THE COASTAL WATERS.

&&

.PREV DISCUSSION... /ISSUED 420 AM AST SAT MAR 2 2013/

SYNOPSIS...UPPER LEVEL TROUGH ACROSS THE ERN US WILL AMPLIFY NEXT
48 HRS AS IT MOVES SLOWLY INTO THE WRN ATLC. THIS WILL DISPLACE
UPPER LEVEL RIDGE THAT HAS DOMINATED OUR AREA FOR SO LONG INTO THE
CNTRL ATLC.

DISCUSSION...SOME HIGH THIN CLOUDS TODAY OTHERWISE CONTINUED DRY
AND WARMER AS LOW LEVEL THICKNESSES AND H85 TEMPS CONTINUE TO
RISE. SUBSIDENCE INVERSION WILL BEGIN TO WEAKEN LATER TODAY AS
MID LEVEL TEMPS BEGIN TO COOL BUT THE INVERSION IS SO STRONG THAT
WILL NOT RESULT IN ANY PRECIP. HOT ON SUNDAY AS THERMAL/THICKNESS
RIDGE ESTABLISHES OVER THE AREA AHEAD OF DEEPENING UPPER LEVEL
TROUGH AND ASSOCIATED CDFNT MOVING INTO THE WINDWARD PASSAGE. LOW
LEVEL MOISTURE WILL START INCREASING SUN WHICH MAY RESULT IN MORE
CLOUDS BUT LOW LEVELS WILL BE HOT AND STILL CAPPED WITH SRLY
DOWNSLOPE WINDS SO STILL NOT ANTICIPATING ANYTHING. MID AND HIGH
LEVEL CLOUDS THICKEN SUN NIGHT WITH CDFNT MOVING INTO THE MONA
PASSAGE MON WITH SHOWERS FINALLY BREAKING OUT OVER NW PR AS
SUBSIDENCE INVERSION ERODES AND MOISTURE BECOMES DEEPER. FRONT
THEN STALLS ACROSS PR TUE WITH CLOUDY COOLER AND BETTER
OPPORTUNITIES FOR SHOWERS MOST OF NEXT WEEK. WHILE AVAILABLE
MOISTURE LOOKS PRETTY HIGH...FORCING MECHANISM WILL BE LACKING AND
DON'T EXPECT THIS FRONT WILL BRING MUCH RELIEF IN TERMS OF
RAINFALL DEFICITS BUT THE THICK CLOUDS AND COOLER CONDITIONS WILL
BE WELCOME FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE ESPECIALLY FIREFIGHTERS.

SAINT CROIX MAY NOT BENEFIT MUCH FROM THESE CHANGES AS THEY WILL
BE FARTHEST AWAY FROM UPPER TROUGH AND STALLING BDRY.

AVIATION...VFR CONDS WILL CONTINUE ACROSS THE LOCAL FLYING AREA
FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS. NO SIG AVIATION WX IMPACTS EXPECTED AT THIS
TIME. LLVL WINDS WILL BE FROM THE SE AT LESS THAN 15 KT.

MARINE...SEAS WILL CONTINUE TO DIMINISH THROUGH EARLY NEXT WEEK
AS WINDS AND SWELLS SUBDSIDE.

FIRE WEATHER...HOT TEMPERATURES AND VERY DRY LOW LEVELS WILL
RESULT IN VERY LOW RH'S. SOME HIGH THIN CLOUDS APPEAR POSSIBLE BUT
DO NOT APPEAR THICK ENOUGH TO PREVENT A SIG FIRE WEATHER THREAT.
WHILE MID LEVEL TEMPS WILL BE COOLING...SUBSIDENCE INVERSION STILL
LOOKS PRETTY STRONG TO ALLOW DRY UNSTABLE AIR TO MIX TO THE
GROUND. HOTTER ON SUN AS THICKNESS RIDGE DEVELOPS BUT INCREASING
UNSTABLE CONDITIONS AS SUBSIDENCE INVERSION DEVELOPS. SO TODAY AND
TOMORROW WILL HAVE A SIG FIRE WEATHER RISK. SIG IMPROVEMENTS
EXPECTED MON AS LOW LEVEL MOISTURE DEEPENS AND MID HIGH CLOUDS THICKEN.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU  88  71  89  73 /   0   0   0   0
STT  76  75  76  76 /   0   0   0   0

&&

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

71/12

Hazardous weather outlook, Mar 2, 5:51 AM AST, 6 hours 6 minutes before

HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
551 AM AST SAT MAR 2 2013

AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-031000-
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-
551 AM AST SAT MAR 2 2013

THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE ADJACENT
ATLANTIC 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-VIZ001-002-031000-
ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX-
NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS-
551 AM AST SAT MAR 2 2013

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.

In the hours before

Local storm report, Mar 2, 10:00 AM AST, 1 hour 57 minutes before

PRELIMINARY LOCAL STORM REPORT
NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR
1000 AM AST SAT MAR 02 2013

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

1157 AM     WILDFIRE         UTUADO                  18.27N 66.71W
03/01/2013                   UTUADO             PR   FIRE DEPT/RESCUE

            BASED ON RADAR SIGNATURE AND CONFIRMATION FROM FIRE
            DEPARTMENT...A FOREST FIRE WAS REPORTED IN UTUADO.

1157 AM     WILDFIRE         SALINAS                 17.98N 66.30W
03/01/2013                   SALINAS            PR   PUBLIC

            BASED ON RADAR SIGNATURE AND CONFIRMATION FROM PUBLIC...A

            FIRE WAS REPORTED IN SALINAS...IN THE CAMP SANTIAGO AREA.

&&

KNEGRON

Event by event

2 wildfire. Local standard time, as filed.

Wildfire, Western Interior

When: March 2, 11:57 AM AST
Where: Western Interior forecast zone
Reported by: Fire Department/Rescue

A forest fire was reported in Utuado.

Wildfire, Southeast

When: March 2, 11:57 AM AST
Where: Southeast forecast zone
Reported by: Social Media

A wildfire was reported at Camp Santiago in the municipality of Salinas.

What these are

Wildfire: A fire burning in wildland vegetation, with its acreage and damage where known.

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

The same day elsewhere

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2013 Every state in 2013 This day in weather history Warnings in Puerto Rico, March 2013

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: 441650, 441652.