Flash Flood in Puerto Rico
Every flash flood event the National Weather Service has filed in Puerto Rico, year by year, with the most significant episodes. Flooding that begins within six hours of the rain that causes it, or of a dam or levee failure or ice jam release, often with deadly speed.
The most significant on the map
The most significant flash flood episodes in Puerto Rico.
- Tornadoes
- Tropical storms and surge
- Floods
- Wind
- Hail
- Winter weather
- Heat and drought
- Cold
- Fire, smoke and dust
- Marine and coastal
- Other
The record
- Events
- 2,038
- Deaths
- 71
- Injuries
- 17
- Damage
- $19 billion
Every year
The most significant
Ranked by deaths, injuries, damage and size together.
- Hurricane and Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, September 20 to 22, 2017Hurricane Maria was a catastrophic category 4 hurricane which devastated the island of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017. Maximum sustained winds of 175 mph as it was approaching the county warning area.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, November 7, 2011A Large low pressure southwest of Bermuda maintained a trough across the local area which resulted in an unstable air mass.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, September 21 to 23, 2008During the three day period of September 21-23, 2008, parts of Puerto Rico suffered from one of the most catastrophic flooding events of the season to date. The flooding affected many municipalities island wide.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, April 17, 2003An intense upper to mid level trough located west of Puerto Rico, coupled with an influx of moist and unstable southerly winds, managed to produce widespread showers and thunderstorms that affected the island of Puerto Rico and began early on Thursday morning.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, May 6 to 7, 2001A strong upper to mid level trough moved across the region during the period May6-7 producing torrential rainfall across Puerto Rico. This rainfall caused widespread flooding of streams, rivers and roads, and landslides and damaged many local farms.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, October 22, 1998A slow moving tropical wave produced between 6 to 8 inches of rain during afternoon and evening hours across eastern Puerto Rico. Widespread flooding was observed across the eastern and central interior sections of Puerto Rico.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, September 17 to 21, 2022Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday the 18th around 3:20 PM AST near Punta Toc n in southwestern Puerto Rico. Strong, gusty winds accompanied much of the stronger convection embedded within the hurricane.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, October 25 to 28, 2007A 1006 millibar low pressure area centered southwest of the Mona passage and its associated bands of clouds, showers and thunderstorms affected Puerto Rico during the period from October 25-29.
- Flash Flood and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, September 1 to 3, 2008The extreme outer bands of Tropical Storm Hanna impacted Puerto Rio during the first week of September. Hanna's circulation induced a low level flow of south to southwest winds that pushed showers and thunderstorms from the Caribbean waters northward into the island.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, May 6 to 10, 2024Saturated soils from the previous rainfall events enhanced the risk of flash and river flooding, as another mid to upper-level trough lingered across the region.
- Flash Flooding and Flood in Puerto Rico, May 28 to 29, 2010Deep moisture, combined with favorable atmospheric conditions, local effects and a low level trough to the north of Puerto Rico, brought widespread flooding rains across Puerto Rico during the last few days of the month.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, July 29 to 30, 2020Tropical Storm Isaias affected the area on July 29th and July 30th. Even though the center passed about 100 miles south of the southern coast of Puerto Rico, given that the tropical cyclone was large in size, the associated impacts extended well north and northeast.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, May 1 to 5, 2025Unstable and wet weather conditions were anticipated in early May due to a combination of abundant tropical moisture and a series of upper-level troughs moving over the region.
- Flash Flood in Puerto Rico, July 12, 2005Two persons were swept downstream by the swollen waters of River Toro Negro, at Barrio Pozas in the municipality of Ciales.
- Flash Flood in Puerto Rico, September 15, 2012The combination of good moisture and instability, combined with local effects and an upper level trough to produced scattered to numerous showers with thunderstorms mainly over the interior and southwest sections of Puerto Rico.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, April 26 to 30, 2025From April 26 through 30, a moist and unstable weather pattern affected Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The episode began as deep tropical moisture moved into the region from the southeast, interacting with deep-layer troughs and supportive jet dynamics aloft.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, October 13 to 14, 1997A nearly stationary low level trough produced heavy rains across the east sections of Puerto Rico. This rainfall began the night of October 13 and continued until the morning of October 14. Widespread flooding and landslides occurred across most of the east.
- Flash Flooding and Flooding in Puerto Rico, October 25 to 26, 2012Showers and thunderstorms associated with the outer bands of Hurricane Sandy were strong enough to produce moderate to major flooding across the Guayanilla and Caguas area between October 25th and October 27th.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, November 16 to 17, 2024By the 16th, moisture remained from a front that passed Puerto Rico and the U.S. |Virgin Islands, and was located southeast of them. A second front was approaching the area and brought additional rain late on the 16th and the 17th.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, September 6 to 7, 2017Hurricane Irma was a category 5 storm with max winds of 185 mph, mainly confined in the northeast quadrant. The direction of the storm was towards the west northwest.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, September 24 to 27, 2025The flooding threat increased as a robust tropical wave moved across the region. This wave combined with instability associated with an upper-level trough. As the wave departed, tropical moisture continued to flux into Puerto Rico.
- Tropical Storm and Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, August 21 to 23, 2011Irene was a quite large and impressive tropical wave during most of its journey across the Atlantic Ocean during the week of August 14-20, 2011.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, May 5 to 7, 2012Upper level trough combined with ample low level moisture to produce scattered to numerous showers with thunderstorms across Puerto Rico.
- Flash Flooding and Debris Flows in Puerto Rico, September 5 to 9, 2025Tropical moisture associated with a tropical wave and other trade wind perturbations, along with an upper-level trough resulted in the formation of strong showers and thunderstorms.
- Flash Flooding in Puerto Rico, November 7 to 9, 2001A cold front became stationary on November 7 through November 9 across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands producing copious rainfall across the region.
More
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.