A high-pressure system over the central Atlantic was driven by moderate to fresh winds, resulting in choppy seas impacting the local waters of Puerto Rico. The risk of rip currents was high during this period.
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.
A high-pressure system over the central Atlantic was driven by moderate to fresh winds, resulting in choppy seas impacting the local waters of Puerto Rico. The risk of rip currents was high during this period.
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 Apr 4, 5:27 AM AST, 3 hours 33 minutes earlier.
Area Forecast Discussion
National Weather Service San Juan PR
527 AM AST Tue Apr 4 2023
.SYNOPSIS...
Moderate to fresh easterly winds will continue across the local
area today along with an increase of moisture, beginning a wet
trend compared to the recent dry conditions. Weather conditions
will deteriorate tomorrow night due to an upper level cut-off low
interacting with a surface trough on Thursday. Thunderstorms and
flooding is possible into the weekend. Strong winds at times over
the regional waters will produce hazardous conditions.
&&
.SHORT TERM...Today through Thursday...
High pressure over the mid latitude Atlantic waters and low pressure
off the coast of Colombia will continue to drive moderate to fresh
easterly winds across the local area. Although the remnants of an
old front will edge toward the area today, a trough in the low to
mid levels will develop over the Leeward Islands later tonight and
move across the area on Thursday, followed by flow from the south
southeast at 700 mb. Precipitable water will increase significantly
today through Thursday as the trough moves through bringing better
shower chances, deeper moisture and hopefully sufficient rain to
begin the process of reversing the abnormally dry conditions.
A trough at upper levels will begin to dig south southeast into the
area later this afternoon and a jet of up to 70 knots will wrap
around the trough across and south of the southwest edge of Puerto
Rico and Saint Croix. On Wednesday the jet will sink south and a cut-
off low will drop into the area placing Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Virgin Islands on the divergent side of the low and further enhance
the unstable conditions. Since moisture is still not as abundant as
during summer months this will help bring better shower activity.
Temperatures will also be a few degrees cooler both at the surface
and aloft by Thursday as the GFS is still predicting between 12 to
13 degrees below zero at 500 mb.
&&
.LONG TERM...Friday through Tuesday...
An upper level low continues to sit over the Eastern Caribbean with
it's divergence sector just south of Puerto Rico, causing unstable
weather to prevail into the weekend. Most rainfall will be seen
across the eastern half of the region, including the eastern half
of Puerto Rico and the USVI where there will be a chance of
flooding. Southeasterly surface wind flow will allow afternoon
convection to form across northwestern Puerto Rico during the
afternoon hours and streamers may form downwind of El Yunque or
the smaller islands. A similar pattern will continues until about
Monday when an area of low pressure builds in the western Atlantic
causing the surface windflow to become more southerly resulting
in an increase of showers across northern Puerto Rico during the
afternoon hours. Throughout this long term period, precipitable
water values remain over 1.5 inches, which is sufficient for
noticeable amounts of rainfall compared to the recent dry
conditions. Cloudy skies will prevail during this time.
&&
.AVIATION...While VFR conditions prevail at the moment, moisture is
increasing and will allow clouds and showers to form later this
morning aft 04/15Z in the east and spread to the west aft 04/17Z.
Areas of MVFR conditions and mtn obscurations are expected then.
Winds will increase to 12 to 18 knots with gusts to 26 knots psbl.
Winds will subside to less than 10 knot most areas by 05/00Z.
Maximum winds NW 40-55 kts btwn FL370-510.
&&
.MARINE... A lingering small northeasterly swell and wind swell
combine to produce seas around 5 feet today with occasionally
greater heights across the local waters. Winds will generally be
from the east around 15 to 20 knots with stronger gust. Tomorrow
conditions will deteriorate across the Offshore Atlantic waters
due to strong winds. Overall a similar trend will continue
throughout the next several days.
Today a High Rip Current Risk is in effect for the northern coast
of Puerto Rico and the northern USVI due to breaking waves up to 9
feet. Tonight, St. Croix will join. A trend of smaller waves is
forecast for the weekend and beyond due to a lack of swell.
&&
.SJU WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES...
PR...High Rip Current Risk through Wednesday afternoon for PRZ001-002-
005-008-012.
VI...High Rip Current Risk through Wednesday afternoon for VIZ001.
High Rip Current Risk from this evening through Wednesday
afternoon for VIZ002.
AM...Small Craft Advisory from 8 AM Wednesday to 8 AM AST Thursday
for AMZ711.
&&
SHORT TERM...WS
LONG TERM....RCPerspectivas sobre las Condiciones Peligrosas del Tiempo Servicio Nacional de Meteorologia en San Juan PR 440 AM AST martes 4 de abril de 2023 AMZ711>745-PRZ001>013-050845- 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 cercanas y lejanas a la costa del Atlantico y del Caribe- 440 AM AST martes 4 de abril de 2023 Esta perspectiva sobre las condiciones peligrosas del tiempo es para Puerto Rico. .DIA UNO...Hoy y esta noche Viento...Condiciones ventosas se esperan. Articulos no asegurados podrian salir volando debido al viento fuerte. .Condiciones Maritimas...Los operadores de embarcaciones pequenas deben ejercer precaucion a traves de las aguas del Atlantico y del Caribe, como tambien el pasaje de Anegada. .Corrientes marinas...Es probable que ocurran corrientes marinas que pongan en peligro la vida en las playas del norte. .DIAS DOS A SIETE...miercoles a lunes Un riesgo alto de corrientes marinas se espera de miercoles a sabado. Se espera oleaje de 7 pies o mas de miercoles a sabado en las aguas mar afuera del Atlantico y el pasaje de Anegada. Existe un riesgo elevado de lluvia con inundaciones localizadas desde el miercoles hasta el viernes. Se esperan condiciones ventosas de miercoles a viernes a lo largo de las costas. .Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores... No se requiere la activacion de observadores. AMZ716-726-VIZ001-002-050845- San Tomas, San John e Islas Adyacentes-Santa Cruz-Las aguas cercanas a la costa del Atlantico y las aguas costeras adyacentes del Caribe- 440 AM AST martes 4 de abril de 2023 Esta perspectiva sobre las condiciones peligrosas del tiempo es para las Islas Virgenes Estadounidenses. .DIA UNO...Hoy y esta noche Viento...Condiciones ventosas se esperan. Articulos no asegurados podrian salir volando debido al viento fuerte. .Condiciones Maritimas...Los operadores de embarcaciones pequenas deben ejercer precaucion a traves de las aguas del Atlantico y del Caribe, como tambien el pasaje de Anegada. .Corrientes marinas...Existe un riesgo de moderado a alto de corrientes marinas en las playas expuestas al norte y las de la mitad este de Santa Cruz. .DIAS DOS A SIETE...miercoles a lunes Riesgo de moderado a alto de corrientes marinas continuara para todas las playas de las Islas Virgenes Americanas. Se espera oleaje de 7 pies o mas de miercoles a sabado en las aguas mar afuera del Atlantico y el pasaje de Anegada. Existe un riesgo elevado de lluvia el miercoles con inundaciones localizadas el jueves y viernes. Se esperan condiciones ventosas de miercoles a viernes a lo largo de las costas. .Comunicado sobre informacion reportada por observadores... No se requiere la activacion de observadores.
1 rip current. Local standard time, as filed.
Emergency managers and a local newspaper reported the drowning of a 50-year-old male in La Concha Beach in Condado.
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, San Juan and Vicinity | 2023-04-04 | 50 | Male | In Water | Direct |
After NWS Directive 10-1605, the rules offices file Storm Data by.
Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, April 2023
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: 1127091.