Puerto Rico, 2021

Rip Current in Puerto Rico, November 2, 2021

November 2, 2021 · NWS SJU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A subsiding northerly swell maintained a high rip current risk for the exposed beaches of northern Puerto Rico.

The toll

Deaths
1
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
1

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.

A subsiding northerly swell maintained a high rip current risk for the exposed beaches of northern Puerto Rico.

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 Nov 2, 3:49 PM AST, 4 hours 11 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Nov 2, 3:49 PM AST, 4 hours 11 minutes before
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Juan PR
349 PM AST Tue Nov 2 2021

.SYNOPSIS...
Broad surface high pressure ridge across the western
Atlantic will continue to spread eastward into the central Atlantic
through Thursday. This will promote a prevailing northeast wind flow
tonight shifting to a more easterly by Wednesday and Thursday.
Remnant moisture fragments from old frontal shear lines will be
transported across the region by the prevailing trade winds through
the end of the week. A fairly moist and unstable weather pattern is
forecast Wednesday through Thursday as an upper levels, a TUTT low
extending northwards across the region from the eastern Caribbean,
will continue to shift westward into the east central Caribbean the
next few days, while maintaining a moderate to strong southerly wind
flow and marginally unstable conditions with cooler air aloft.

SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday...

Water vapor imagery showed the upper level trough moving over
Puerto Rico this afternoon and tonight. This feature is enhancing
the instability across the forecast area especially across the
local forecast area. A surge of moisture approaching from the
northeast will increase the shower activity tonight and overnight
over the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as the east and north coast
of Puerto Rico. Unsettled conditions will continue on Thursday
under the influence of the upper level trough.

LONG TERM...Friday through Wednesday...

Model guidances continues to suggest a strong deepening
upper level trough sinking southwestward into the central
Atlantic. This trough will reflect on almost all the levels and
will generate a surface trough far away over the central Atlantic,
generating a moderate east-southeast wind flow over the region.
This wind flow will result in advective moisture pattern and will
keep the available moisture moving in the area of the long term
period. This evolving pattern will turn favorable conditions for
shower development over the interior and western sections of
Puerto Rico each afternoon, as well the passing showers from time
to time in the morning and evening hours over the local waters and
windward sections. However, starting on Friday onwards, stable
conditions will prevail in the mid to upper levels as a westward
high pressure establish over the area.

In general, a seasonal pattern is expected for Friday through
Monday, with the typical afternoon shower activity due to the
local effects and diurnal heating. Then, on late Monday onwards,
the precipitable water values will remain near normal, and as a
result, less coverage in the shower activity is expected. Daytime
temperatures are expected to remain warmer between mid 80s to low
90s, due to the east-southeast wind flow over the forecast area.

AVIATION...VFR conds will likely continue thru the forecast
period. However, brief MVFR conds can not ruled out Wednesday and
Thursday as clouds and showers increase significantly across the
local terminals. Easterly winds of 10-20 kts will prevail below
FL150.

MARINE...Northerly swell will gradually subside tonight into
Wednesday giving way to typical marine conditions the rest of the
week. As a result, the high risk of rip current continues through
tonight, then a moderate risk is forecast the second part of the
week.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU  76  87  76  87 /  70  70  70  50
STT  76  87  76  87 /  70  60  60  50

&&

.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...High Rip Current Risk until 6 PM AST this evening for Culebra-
     Northeast-Southeast.

     High Rip Current Risk through late tonight for North Central-
     Northwest-San Juan and Vicinity.

VI...None.
AM...None.
&&

SHORT TERM...CVB
LONG TERM....EM
PUBLIC DESK...CAM
Hazardous weather outlook, Nov 2, 5:39 AM AST, 14 hours 21 minutes before
Perspectivas sobre las Condiciones Peligrosas del Tiempo.
Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan PR
425 AM AST martes 2 de noviembre de 2021

AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-030830-
San Juan y Vecindad-Noreste-Sureste-Este Interior-Norte Central-
Interior Central-Ponce y Vecindad-Noroeste-Oeste Interior-
Mayaguez y Vecindad-Suroeste-Culebra-Vieques-
Las aguas costeras cercanas y lejanas a la costa del Atlantico y
Caribe-
425 AM AST martes 2 de noviembre de 2021

Esta Perspectiva sobre las Condiciones Peligrosas del Tiempo es para
Puerto Rico y las aguas costeras adyacentes del Atlantico.

.Dia Uno...Hoy y esta noche

.Tronadas...Existe la probabilidad de tronadas con lluvia de
moderada a fuerte y fuertes vientos breves en rafagas esta tarde a
traves de sectores del interior central y suroeste de Puerto Rico.

.Inundaciones...Lluvia fuertes pudieran resultar en acumulacion de
agua en carreteras y en areas bajas y de pobre drenaje.

.Oleaje...Se espera oleaje picado de hasta 6 pies a traves de las
aguas del Atlantico y los pasajes locales.

.Corrientes Marinas...Existe un riesgo alto de corrientes marinas a
traves de las playas del norte de Puerto Rico y algunas playas de
Culebra. Existe riesgo moderado de corrientes marinas para el resto
de las playas del norte y este y algunas playas de Culebra y
Vieques.

.Dias dos hasta el siete...miercoles a lunes

Aumento en la humedad en los vientos alisios y condiciones
inestables en los niveles altos favoreceran una mayor probabilidad
de desarrollo de aguaceros tempranos en la manana y en la tarde el
martes hasta el miercoles. Esto contribuira al potencial de
inundaciones urbanas y de riachuelos en areas aisladas. El oleaje
picado continuara hasta 6 pies, especialmente en las aguas mar
afuera del Atlantico hasta el miercoles. Un riesgo alto de
corrientes marinas continuara para las playas del norte de Puerto
Rico y Culebra, y un riesgo moderado de corrientes marinas para el
resto de las playas del norte y este y algunas playas de Vieques.

.Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores...

No se espera activacion amplia de observadores. Favor de reportar
cualquier informacion sobre vientos, oleaje y corrientes marinas al
Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan mientras siguen las
indicaciones de las autoridades locales y estatales.

AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-020845-
San Tomas, San John e Islas Adyacentes-Santa Cruz-
Aguas cercanas del Atlantico y aguas costeras adyacentes
del Caribe-
425 AM AST martes 2 de noviembre de 2021

Esta perspectiva sobre las condiciones peligrosas del tiempo es para
Islas Virgenes Estadounidenses y las aguas costeras adyacentes.

.Dia Uno...Hoy y esta noche

.Tronadas...Existe un ligera probabilidad de tronadas aisladas en y
alrededor de algunas islas durante horas de la tarde y tempranas
horas de la noche.

.Inundaciones...Lluvia de moderada a localmente fuerte podria
generar inundaciones menores a traves de carreteras y areas de pobre
drenaje mas tarde esta tarde y durante horas temprano en la noche.

.Oleaje...Se espera oleaje picado de hasta 6 pies a traves de la
aguas del Atlantico y pasages locales.

.Corrientes Marinas...Existe un riesgo moderado de corrientes
marinas para algunas de las playas del norte y este de las islas.

.Dias dos hasta el siete...miercoles a lunes

Aumento en la humedad en los vientos alisios y condiciones
inestables en los niveles altos favoreceran una mayor probabilidad
de desarrollo de aguaceros tempranos en la manana y en la tarde el
miercoles hasta el jueves. Esto contribuira al potencial de
inundaciones urbanas y de riachuelos en areas aisladas. El oleaje
picado continuara hasta 6 pies, especialmente en las aguas mar
afuera del Atlantico y pasajes locales. Un riesgo moderado de
corrientes marinas continuara para las playas del norte y este
durante los proximos dias.

.Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores...

No se espera activacion amplia de observadores. Favor de reportar
cualquier informacion sobre vientos, oleaje y corrientes marinas al
Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan mientras siguen las
indicaciones de las autoridades locales y estatales.

Event by event

1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.

Rip Current, Northwest

When
November 2, 8:00 PM AST to 9:00 PM AST
Where
Northwest forecast zone
Deaths
1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by
Newspaper

A 51-year-old female drowned in a rip current in Penon Brusi Beach.

The people who died

As the offices recorded each death: direct deaths were caused by the weather itself, indirect ones by something it set in motion.

EventDateAgeSexWhereKind
Rip Current, Northwest2021-11-0251FemaleIn WaterDirect

What these are

Rip Current
A narrow, fast current flowing away from the beach that caused a drowning or rescue.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2021Every state in 2021This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, November 2021

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: 993065.