Strong trade winds resulted in hazardous marine and coastal conditions along the northern coast of Puerto Rico, with high rip current risk for much of the local beaches.
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.
Strong trade winds resulted in hazardous marine and coastal conditions along the northern coast of Puerto Rico, with high rip current risk for much of the local beaches.
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 30, 11:09 AM AST, 2 hours 51 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Juan PR
1109 AM AST Wed Mar 30 2022
.UPDATE...
Calm weather conditions will continue due to lack of moisture,
but local effects and sea breeze variations will aid afternoon
convection across interior and southwest PR.
An upper-level trough will increase the potential for heavy
rainfall Thursday. However, the lack of moisture will be the
limiting factor. A surface high pressure will aid in breezy to
locally windy conditions. An advective pattern should return by
the end of the weekend, with the arrival of patches of moisture at
times.
&&
.AVIATION...
VFR conditions will persist across the local terminals. However,
SHRA will develop across the Cordillera Central and should remain
away from TAFs. Winds will continue from the E-NE at around 15-20
kts with higher gusts and sea breeze variations. Winds will
become calm to light/VRB overnight.
&&
.MARINE...
Winds will increase today, becoming moderate to locally fresh,
supporting choppy conditions. Expect seas up to 6 feet by this
evening. Seas will increase up to 7 feet by tomorrow, resulting in
hazardous marine conditions through at least Friday. Therefore,
SCA is in effect for the Atlantic Offshore waters and could be
expanded to other areas.
&&
.PREV DISCUSSION... /issued 619 AM AST Wed Mar 30 2022/
SYNOPSIS...As high pressure forms north of Puerto Rico tonight,
winds will increase bringing hazardous seas and the risk of rip
currents. Breezy conditions will increase the chance of advective
showers. A passing upper level trough on Thursday night
and Friday will enhance the shower activity in the area.
SHORT TERM...Today through Friday...
Decreasing moisture levels are expected today; Total Precipitable
Water imagery from GOES-16 shows a drier airmass is making its
way into the area from the east. Satellite estimates suggest
precipitable water values of around 0.9 inches are associated with
this airmass, with these lower values currently east of the Virgin
Islands. Seasonal normals are on the order of 1.15 and 1.5 inches
There are some patches of moisture that can be seen embedded in this
airmass, however, which will help to support a few showers from time
to time. On the whole, however, generally fair weather is expected.
With winds expected to be around 15 to 20 mph, any showers that do
develop will move quickly, limiting rainfall totals.
Drier than normal conditions will continue through tomorrow and
Friday, as well. Though an upper-level trough approaching from the
west on Thursday, and passing over the area on Friday, will likely
modestly improve the dynamics, there will remain good stability in
the mid-levels. As such, generally fair weather, with isolated to
scattered showers, is expected through the end of the workweek.
LONG TERM...Saturday through Wednesday...
In the upper levels, early in the weekend a ridge of high
pressure system will be situated north north northeast of Puerto
Rico in the central Atlantic and will maintain generally stable
conditions aloft.
At the surface high pressure builds over the western Atlantic and
will maintain moderate to fresh easterly tradewinds. This will
bring patchy moisture across the area in quickly passing showers.
Over the weekend the GFS20 precipitable water forecast shows air
masses with values of 0.65 to 1.2 inches moving through the area,
with winds values starting to decrease. This moisture will fuel
morning showers in the windward regions and afternoon showers in
the west with local effects playing a major role. GFS 1000-850 mb
thickness guidance indicated that temperatures will rise during
the weekend, possibly providing enhanced conditions for diurnal
convection and coupled with southeast flow, warmer temperatures
along the north northeast coasts of Puerto Rico. Otherwise
temperatures will remain pretty much near normal.
AVIATION...Generally VFR conditions are expected across all
terminals next 24 hours. VCSH until 30/14Z at TJSJ/TIST/TISX are
expected to have limited operational impacts. Winds will increase
after sunrise, generally out of the east to east northeast at 12
to 18 knots, with sea breeze variations. After sunset, winds
subside, becoming generally light overnight.
MARINE...With winds up to 15 knots from the east, seas will be up
to 6 feet tonight and then 7 feet in the morning. We expect
increasing wind speeds up to 20 knots from the east with
occasionally stronger gusts. Breezy conditions and a northerly
swell will result in choppy seas up to 7 feet requiring a small
craft advisory in the local outer Atlantic waters. Fresh breezes
will continue from Thursday into the weekend, maintaining
hazardous conditions until Friday night.
The high risk of rip currents will spread around the beaches of islands
with north and east exposures today through Friday.
&&
.PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS...
SJU 84 73 83 74 / 40 40 40 40
STT 83 73 82 73 / 30 30 30 20
&&
.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...High Rip Current Risk from 6 PM AST this evening through late
Friday night for Northeast-San Juan and Vicinity-Southeast.
High Rip Current Risk from Thursday morning through late Friday
night for Vieques.
High Rip Current Risk through late Friday night for Culebra-
North Central-Northwest.
VI...High Rip Current Risk from 6 PM AST this evening through late
Friday night for St Croix-St.Thomas...St. John...and
Adjacent Islands.
AM...Small Craft Advisory from 8 AM Thursday to 2 AM AST Saturday for
Atlantic Waters of Puerto Rico and USVI from 10 NM to 19.5N.
&&
SHORT TERM...CAM
LONG TERM....ICP
PUBLIC DESK...LISPerspectivas sobre las Condiciones Peligrosas del Tiempo Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan PR 453 AM AST miercoles 30 de marzo de 2022 AMZ710>745-PRZ001>013-310900- 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 453 AM AST miercoles 30 de marzo de 2022 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 .Viento... Vientos sostenidos en exceso de 20 MPH (17 nudos) se esperan a traves de sectores de las aguas locales. .Oleaje... Se espera oleaje picado de hasta 6 pies se esperan a traves de las aguas expuestas, especialmente en el Atlantico. .Corrientes Marinas...Existe un riesgo alto de corrientes marinas para las playas del norte central y noroeste de Puerto Rico y Culebra el dia de hoy. Esta noche, se espera que el riesgo alto de corrientes marinas se expanda a traves del resto de las playas del norte de Puerto Rico. Existe un riesgo moderado de corrientes marinas para el resto de las playas locales. .Dias dos hasta el siete...jueves a martes El riesgo de corrientes marinas continuara entre moderado a a alto hasta al menos el fin de semana. Se espera un aumento en el oleaje resultando en condiciones maritimas peligrosas de hasta 7 pies para el dia de manana hasta al menos el viernes. .Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores... No se espera activacion amplia de observadores. Sin embargo, le agradeceriamos reportar cualquier informacion sobre vientos, oleaje y corrientes marinas al Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan. AMZ715-725-VIZ001-002-310900- San Tomas, San John e Islas Adyacentes- Santa Cruz-Aguas cercanas del Atlantico y aguas costeras adyacentes del Caribe- 453 AM AST miercoles 30 de marzo de 2022 Esta perspectiva sobre las condiciones peligrosas del tiempo es para Islas Virgenes Estadounidenses y las aguas costeras adyacentes. .Dia Uno...Hoy y esta noche .Viento... Vientos sostenidos en exceso de 20 MPH (17 nudos) se esperan a traves de sectores de las aguas locales. .Oleaje... Se espera oleaje picado de hasta 6 pies se esperan a traves de las aguas expuestas, especialmente en el Atlantico. .Corrientes Marinas...Existe un riesgo moderado de corrientes marinas para todas las playas el dia de hoy. El riesgo aumentara, tornandose alto, para esta noche a traves de las playas del noroeste de St. Thomas y el este de Santa cruz. .Dias dos hasta el siete...jueves a martes El riesgo de corrientes marinas continuara entre moderado a a alto hasta al menos el fin de semana. Se espera un aumento en el oleaje resultando en condiciones maritimas peligrosas de hasta 7 pies para el dia de manana hasta al menos el viernes. .Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores... No se espera activacion amplia de observadores. Sin embargo, le agradeceriamos reportar cualquier informacion sobre vientos, corrientes marinas u oleaje al Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
A 71-year-old male was swept away by the rip currents and drown at Seven Seas in Fajardo.
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 | 2022-03-30 | 71 | Male | Unknown | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2022Every state in 2022This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, March 2022
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: 1012648.