Rip Current in Puerto Rico, October 30, 2021

Name: Rip Current in Puerto Rico, October 30, 2021
Start: 2021-10-30T16:30
End: 2021-10-30T16:30
Location: Puerto Rico

October 30, 2021 · NWS SJU · 1 event in 1 county or zone

A 43 year old man was swept away by Rip Currents at Playa Escondida near The Seven Seas Balneario.

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 43 year old man was swept away by Rip Currents at Playa Escondida near The Seven Seas Balneario.

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 Oct 30, 4:13 PM AST, 17 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Oct 30, 4:13 PM AST, 17 minutes before

Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Juan PR
413 PM AST Sat Oct 30 2021

.SYNOPSIS...A surface high pressure will continue to develop to
the north of the local islands before dissipating on Tuesday, this
will shift the winds gradually toward the ENE by Monday. A mid
level high pressure will maintain some stability across the local
area through the weekend.

&&

.SHORT TERM...Low level moisture will continue to move across the
area, resulting in trade wind showers from time to time...no
significant rainfall accumulations are expected. In the next 24 to
36 hours winds will begin to shift more from the northeast,
therefore passing showers will affect the northeast portions of
Puerto Rico and northern Virgin Islands between Sunday night and
early Monday morning.

.LONG TERM...Tuesday through Sunday...

A noticeable increase in moisture and in shower activity is
expected in the long term period. The local winds are forecast to
be from the ENE on Tuesday, but from Wednesday onward, the winds
will be mainly from the east. With this increase in moisture and
easterly winds, we can expect trade wind showers every morning and
night, mainly affecting the local waters, USVI, and eastern PR.
However, the latest guidance indicates that the rainiest days
would be Tuesday through Thursday, as patches of moisture, of
over 2 inches of precipitable water, would move through the local
area. There is some hints in the guidance that would suggest that
isolated thunderstorms could be observed, but the confidence is
higher on isolated thunderstorms over land areas, with less
confidence on thunderstorms over the waters. Then for Friday into
next weekend, essentially tradewind showers with locally induced
showers in the afternoons over PR are expected. The temperature
guidance is suggesting milder temps, with highs in the mid to
upper 80s across the lower elevations, but a few areas with upper
80s could also be expected.

&&

.AVIATION...SHRA NW PR and VCTY TJBQ till arnd 30/22Z. Sfc winds SE
less than 12 kt with sea breezes bcmg less than 10 kt with land
breezes btwn aft 31/00Z. Max winds ENE 20-30 kt btwn FL340-420.

&&

.MARINE...A moderate swell that could be considered "La
Marejadas de los Muertos" will continue to affect the local
Atlantic waters and all local passages through at least Tuesday
night. On Wednesday the northerly swell will slowly subside. A
slight chop will begin to affect the local waters as winds are
expected to slightly increase and shift to a more northerly
component.

&&

.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU  75  88  77  86 /  30  30  40  50
STT  76  87  76  87 /  20  20  30  50

&&

.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...High Rip Current Risk through Monday afternoon for North Central-
     Northeast-Northwest-San Juan and Vicinity-Southeast.

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

SHORT TERM...CS
LONG TERM....EM
PUBLIC DESK...CAM

Hazardous weather outlook, Oct 30, 4:38 AM AST, 11 hours 52 minutes before

Perspectivas sobre las Condiciones Peligrosas del Tiempo.
Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan PR
408 AM AST sabado 30 de octubre de 2021

AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-310815-
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-
408 AM AST sabado 30 de octubre 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

.Inundaciones...Lluvia de moderada a fuerte pudiera resultar en
acumulacion de agua en carreteras y en areas bajas y de pobre
drenaje esta tarde a traves de porciones del noroeste de Puerto Rico.

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

.Corrientes Marinas...Existe un riesgo alto de corrientes marinas a
traves de las playas del norte de Puerto Rico. El riesgo alto de
corrientes marinas se extendera hacia las playas de Culebra esta
noche.

.Dias dos hasta el siete...domingo a viernes

Oleaje picasdo de hasta 6 pies continuara, especialmente a traves de
las aguas mar afuera del Atlantico, hasta prinicipios de la semana
proxima. El riesgo alto de corrientes marinas continuara para las
playas del norte de Puerto Rico al igual que Culebra hasta
principios de la semana proxima.

La combinacion de una vaguada en los niveles medios y altos y un
aumento en la humedad pudiera resultar en un aumento en la actividad
de aguaceros y tronadas entre el martes y jueves, aumentando el
potencial de inundaciones urbanas y de riachuelos.

.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-VIZ001-002-310815-
San Tomas, San John e Islas Adyacentes-Santa Cruz-
Aguas cercanas del Atlantico y aguas costeras adyacentes
del Caribe-
408 AM AST sabado 30 de octubre 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

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

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

.Dias dos hasta el siete...domingo a viernes

Oleaje picasdo de hasta 6 pies continuara, especialmente a traves de
las aguas mar afuera del Atlantico, hasta prinicipios de la semana
proxima. Un riesgo moderado de corrientes marinas continuara para
varias de las playas locales durante los proximos dias.

La combinacion de una vaguada en los niveles medios y altos y un
aumento en la humedad pudiera resultar en un aumento en la actividad
de aguaceros y tronadas entre el martes y jueves, aumentando el
potencial de acumulacion de agua en carreteras y en areas bajas y de
pobre drenaje.

.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, Northeast

When: October 30, 4:30 PM AST
Where: Northeast forecast zone
Deaths: 1 direct, 0 indirect
Reported by: Newspaper

A 43 year old man was swept away by Rip Currents at Playa Escondida near The Seven Seas Balneario.

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.

Event	Date	Age	Sex	Where	Kind
Rip Current, Northeast	2021-10-30	43	Male	In Water	Direct

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

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2021 Every state in 2021 This day in weather history Warnings in Puerto Rico, October 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: 988266.