Puerto Rico, 2023

Drought in Puerto Rico, July 25 to 31, 2023

July 25 to 31, 2023 · NWS SJU · 3 events in 3 counties and zones

As the month progresses, heavy rain did not occur across the extreme northwest of Puerto Rico, where the Guajataca Basin is located. The basin stayed in observational levels.

The toll

Deaths
0
Injuries
0
Property damage
None recorded
Crop damage
None recorded
Events
3

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.

As the month progresses, heavy rain did not occur across the extreme northwest of Puerto Rico, where the Guajataca Basin is located. The basin stayed in observational levels. Additionally, rivers were well below normal, soils were dry and the rainfall deficit was increasing as well.

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 Jul 24, 10:05 PM AST, 1 hour 55 minutes earlier.

Area forecast discussion, Jul 24, 10:05 PM AST, 1 hour 55 minutes before
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Event by event

3 drought. Local standard time, as filed.

Drought, North Central

When
July 25, 12:00 AM AST to July 31, 12:00 AM AST
Where
North Central forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

The lack of significant rains created water deficit for the Guajataca Basin, and the basin was at observational levels. Soils were drier than normal due to the increasing rainfall deficit.

Drought, Northwest

When
July 25, 12:00 AM AST to July 31, 12:00 AM AST
Where
Northwest forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

The lack of significant rains created water deficit for the Guajataca Basin, and the basin was at observational levels. Soils were drier than normal due to the increasing rainfall deficit.

Drought, Western Interior

When
July 25, 12:00 AM AST to July 31, 12:00 AM AST
Where
Western Interior forecast zone
Reported by
Drought Monitor

The lack of significant rains created water deficit for the Guajataca Basin, and the basin was at observational levels. Soils were drier than normal due to the increasing rainfall deficit.

What these are

Drought
A drought reaching severe (D2) or worse on the US Drought Monitor, or with notable impacts.

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

The same day elsewhere

More

Every storm in Puerto Rico in 2023Every state in 2023This day in weather historyWarnings in Puerto Rico, July 2023

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 2026-09-30. Each event’s entry at NCEI: 1107422, 1107423, 1107424.