An upper level trough combined with daytime, sea breeze convergence and local effect to produced numerous showers with thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall occured over the eastern half of Puerto Rico and the San Juan metropolitan area as well over the west section of Puerto Rico.
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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.
An upper level trough combined with daytime, sea breeze convergence and local effect to produced numerous showers with thunderstorms. Locally heavy rainfall occured over the eastern half of Puerto Rico and the San Juan metropolitan area as well over the west section of Puerto Rico.
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 May 8, 4:46 AM AST, 4 hours 14 minutes earlier.
AREA FORECAST DISCUSSION...CORRECTED NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 446 AM AST WED MAY 8 2013 .SYNOPSIS...A MID TO UPPER LEVEL RIDGE WILL CONTINUE TO PREVAIL ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA THROUGH THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. THIS FEATURE IS EXPECTED TO WEAKEN AS SHORTWAVE TROUGH MOVES TO THE NORTH OF THE AREA. SURFACE HIGH ACROSS THE CENTRAL ATLANTIC WILL CONTINUE TO PROMOTE AN EAST TO EAST SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW ACROSS THE LOCAL ISLANDS FOR THE NEXT TWO DAYS OR SO. && .DISCUSSION...TERMINAL DOPPLER RADAR AND SATELLITE IMAGERY CONTINUE TO INDICATE SHOWER AND THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY ACROSS THE FORECAST AREA. THE MAJORITY OF THE SHOWER/THUNDERSTORM ACTIVITY REMAINED OVER THE COASTAL WATERS OVERNIGHT AND EARLY THIS MORNING. OVERALL... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS SHOULD DECREASE IN COVERAGE AND INTENSITY THROUGHOUT THE DAY AND TOMORROW AS PRECIPITABLE WATER AND H85 THETAE VALUES DIMINISH. HOWEVER...THERE IS ENOUGH LOW LEVEL MOISTURE AND UPPER LEVEL DYNAMICS TO COMBINE ONCE AGAIN WITH LOCAL EFFECTS AND DIURNAL HEATING TO PRODUCE SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACROSS PORTIONS OF PUERTO RICO TODAY. THESE SCATTERED TO LOCALLY NUMEROUS SHOWERS AND ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS WILL BE FOCUSED ACROSS THE NORTHWEST...WESTERN INTERIOR...NORTH CENTRAL... CENTRAL INTERIOR AS WELL AS ACROSS PORTIONS OF THE SAN JUAN METRO AREA THIS AFTERNOON. DUE TO ALREADY SATURATED SOILS ACROSS CENTRAL AND NORTHWEST PUERTO RICO...PROLONGED PERIODS OF MODERATE TO HEAVY RAINFALL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN URBAN FLOODING AND RISES IN SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS. MODEL GUIDANCE CONTINUED TO INDICATE A DRIER WEATHER PATTERN BY THE END OF THE WORK WEEK. ALTHOUGH...LINGERING MOISTURE...WILL CONTINUE TO COMBINE WITH DAYTIME HEATING AND LOCAL EFFECTS TO PRODUCE SHOWERS WITH ISOLATED THUNDERSTORMS EACH AFTERNOON. && .AVIATION...VFR TO DOMINATE THIS MORNING XCP IN SCT SHRA EAST PR TO USVI. MORE NUMEROUS SHRA/ISOLD TSRA BY AFT WITH TJSJ THE MOST LIKELY TAF LOCATION TO HAVE MVFR OR EVEN VERY BRIEF IFR...MTN OBSC LIKELY TOO. LLVL WIND E 10-20 KT BLO FL100 THEN WSW INCR SPD ABV. && .MARINE...SEAS ARE INCREASING SLOWLY DUE TO NORTHEAST SWELLS. AT THIS TIME...SEAS ARE EXPECTED TO REMAIN BELOW 7 FEET WITH A MODERATE TO FRESH EAST TO EAST SOUTHEAST WIND FLOW. && .PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS... SJU 86 75 86 75 / 50 50 50 30 STT 89 77 89 77 / 40 50 50 20 && .SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES... PR...NONE. VI...NONE. COASTAL WATERS...NONE. && 54/23
HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE SAN JUAN PR 606 AM AST WED MAY 8 2013 AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-091015- 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- 606 AM AST WED MAY 8 2013 THIS HAZARDOUS WEATHER OUTLOOK IS FOR PUERTO RICO AND THE ADJACENT ATLANTIC COASTAL WATERS. .DAY ONE...TODAY AND TONIGHT DUE TO ALREADY SATURATED SOILS...ANY ADDITIONAL RAINFALL WILL LIKELY RESULT IN URBAN FLOODING...RAPID RISES IN SMALL STREAMS AND RIVERS AS WELL AS INCREASE THE POTENTIAL FOR MUDSLIDES IN AREAS OF STEEP TERRAIN. .DAYS TWO THROUGH SEVEN...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...REPORTS ABOUT FLOODING WOULD BE APPRECIATED. AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-091015- ST. THOMAS ST. JOHN ADJACENT ISLANDS-ST CROIX- NEARSHORE ATLANTIC AND ADJACENT CARIBBEAN COASTAL WATERS- 606 AM AST WED MAY 8 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...THURSDAY THROUGH TUESDAY NO HAZARDOUS WEATHER IS EXPECTED AT THIS TIME. .SPOTTER INFORMATION STATEMENT...SPOTTER ACTIVATION WILL NOT BE NEEDED AT THIS TIME.
The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.
5 flash flood, 4 flood, 1 heavy rain. Local standard time, as filed.
Road PR-418 and road PR-115 were reported flooded and closed due to Rio Culebrinas out of its banks.
Highway PR-31 At Highway PR-3 was reported flooded. Rio Blanco was reported out of its banks. Also flooded PR-53 near road PR-3 at abandoned factory.
Road PR-192, Road PR-31 and Highway PR-53 were completely impassable due to the flooding caused by the Heavy Rain and Rio Blanco being out of its banks.
Flooding was reported in Barrio Mameyal.
Many roads were flooded due to Quebrada Margarita out of its banks at La Marina sector.
Flooding was reported in several roads in Catano. Cars were stranded in flooding waters.
A mudslide affected road PR-972 in Barrio Mariana.
Several roads were completely impassable around the Buchanan Military Base.
Rio Espiritu Santo out its banks in a couple of locations, including areas along road PR-187.
Off-duty NWS employee reported flood at Coco Beach area, along road PR-955 due to a tributary of Rio Espiritu Santo out of its banks.
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2013Every state in 2013This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, May 2013
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: 456735, 456736, 456749, 456763, 456770, 456779, 456962, 456968, 456969, 456975.