Puerto Rico, 2020

Debris Flow and Heavy Rain in Puerto Rico, June 12, 2020

June 12, 2020 · NWS SJU · 2 events in 2 counties and zones

An upper-level low near Cuba and abundant moisture combined with local and diurnal effects to result in enhanced shower and thunderstorm activity across the northern half of Puerto Rico.

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

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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.

An upper-level low near Cuba and abundant moisture combined with local and diurnal effects to result in enhanced shower and thunderstorm activity across the northern half of Puerto Rico.

The radar

The national radar mosaic for the moment the first event began.

Open the radar archive at this moment

Event by event

1 heavy rain, 1 debris flow. Local standard time, as filed.

Heavy Rain, Vega Baja

When
June 12, 3:40 PM AST
Where
Vega Baja County, 6.17 mi S of Vega Baja to 6.1 mi S of Vega Baja
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
18.361, -66.390

Two people were dragged away from a water surge that occurred in Rio Charco Azul. One person was rescued and the other was found dead, an 18-year old female.

Debris Flow, Toa Alta

When
June 12, 3:40 PM AST to 5:15 PM AST
Where
Toa Alta County, 1.8 mi NNW of Toa Alta to 1.39 mi NNW of Toa Alta
Cause
Heavy Rain
Reported by
Emergency Manager
Coordinates
18.372, -66.244

Mudslide was reported in Toa Alta, close to Road PR-861.

What these are

Heavy Rain
Rainfall totals unusual for the place and season that did not produce a flood.
Debris Flow
A fast-moving slurry of mud, rock and debris, usually on a slope soaked by heavy rain or stripped by a fire.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2020Every state in 2020This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, June 2020

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: 905679, 905680.