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Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico severe weather history spans 97 recorded events between 1994 and 2025. The dominant hazard is flash flood, accounting for 34.0% of all recorded events. It ranks #2,892 nationally and #16 in Puerto Rico.
97
Recorded events
13
Direct deaths
1
Direct injuries
$751.5M
Property damage
The record
What the Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico severe weather history record shows
Across the archive, Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico severe weather history averages 3.1 recorded events a year. The busiest stretch on record is the 2020s, with 39 events logged in that decade alone.
The deadliest hazard in the Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico record is flash flood, responsible for 10 direct deaths. The costliest is flash flood, with $751.3M in reported property damage. In total, 10 distinct hazard types appear in this county archive, each listed with its own dated record below.
By hazard type
Every hazard type recorded in Arecibo Municipio
| Hazard | Events | Deaths | Damage | Max | Span |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flash Flood | 33 | 10 | $751.3M | 0 | 1996–2025 |
| Flood | 27 | 0 | $62K | 0 | 1998–2025 |
| Heavy Rain | 13 | 1 | $28K | 0 | 1997–2010 |
| Thunderstorm Wind | 9 | 0 | $36K | 40 | 1994–2025 |
| Debris Flow | 8 | 0 | $13K | 0 | 2023–2025 |
| Tornado | 2 | 0 | $8K | EF1 | 2022–2024 |
| Hail | 2 | 0 | $500 | 1.75 | 2010–2010 |
| Funnel Cloud | 1 | 0 | $0 | 0 | 1998–1998 |
| Lightning | 1 | 0 | $1K | 0 | 2024–2024 |
| Rip Current | 1 | 2 | $0 | 0 | 1999–1999 |
Decade by decade
Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico severe weather history by decade
Reporting practice changed over time — early decades are undercounted, not calmer.
Tornado tracks
Paths crossing this county
2 mapped tornado paths intersect this county: 2 touched down inside it and 0 crossed in from a neighbouring county. This comes from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
| Date | Scale | Deaths | Injuries | Path length | Origin |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-05-01 | EF1 | 0 | 0 | 0.4 mi | Touched down here |
| 2024-05-02 | EF0 | 0 | 0 | 0.5 mi | Touched down here |
Significant events
Deadliest events on record in Arecibo Municipio
| Date | Type | Location | Deaths | Injuries | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 7, 2011 | Flash Flood | ARECIBO | 8 | 0 | $25K |
| Mar 11, 1999 | Rip Current | ARECIBO | 2 | 0 | $0 |
| Sep 13, 2020 | Flash Flood | ARECIBO | 1 | 1 | $0 |
| Sep 20, 2017 | Flash Flood | ARECIBO | 1 | 0 | $750.0M |
| May 30, 1999 | Heavy Rain | LARES | 1 | 0 | $0 |
From the record
What the reports say
Written by National Weather Service staff at the time of the event · public domain
A van with 10 inmates and 2 guards was overturned by a rush of water flowing down a dry gut. From the 12 passengers, 4 were rescued, 2 guards and 2 inmates, 8 bodies were recovered. According to EMS officials, the dry gut was already swollen and flooded the nearby area before the van tried to travel through at the Sabana Hoyo ward near the Cordova sector in Arecibo.
A motor vehicle with three occupants was swept by an overflowing river current as it tried to cross a water covered bridge along PR682 near the Cambalache Forest. Nine homes were also reported flooded with flood water levels estimated at near two feet.
A power pole fell near the Borinquen Arecibo Cockpit on PR-123. Vehicle traffic through this area was affected. Around the time of the incident strong showers and thunderstorms were moving across the area with wind gusts around 23 to 25 mph.
Context
Risk, population and federal disasters
Insufficient Data
FEMA NRI risk rating
86,467
Population (ACS)
$117K
Median home value
28
Federal declarations
| Declared | Incident | Title | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 13, 2024 | Severe Storm | TROPICAL STORM ERNESTO | EM |
| Sep 21, 2022 | Hurricane | HURRICANE FIONA | DR |
| Sep 18, 2022 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM FIONA | EM |
| Nov 5, 2020 | Flood | SEVERE STORM AND FLOODING | DR |
| Aug 22, 2020 | Hurricane | TROPICAL STORM LAURA | EM |
| Jul 29, 2020 | Hurricane | POTENTIAL TROPICAL CYCLONE NINE | EM |
Within the county
Most affected places
- Arecibo 232
Quick answers
Frequently asked
How many severe weather events have been recorded in Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico?
97 events are on record between 1994 and 2025, causing 13 direct deaths and $751.5M in property damage.
What is the most common severe weather hazard in Arecibo Municipio?
Flash Flood, with 33 recorded events — 34.0% of everything in the archive for this county.
How many tornadoes have crossed Arecibo Municipio?
2 mapped tornado paths intersect the county boundary; 2 of them touched down inside it. This is derived from path geometry, not county-tagged reports.
How many federal disaster declarations cover Arecibo Municipio?
28 federal disaster declarations from FEMA include Arecibo Municipio, each tied to a specific incident period.
How risky is Arecibo Municipio compared with the rest of the country?
FEMA's National Risk Index rates Arecibo Municipio as insufficient data risk, placing it in the 0 percentile of its state for expected annual loss.
Where does the Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico severe weather history data come from?
Every figure is drawn from United States federal public-domain records: NOAA/NCEI Storm Events for the event archive, NOAA SPC SVRGIS for mapped tornado paths, FEMA for disaster declarations and risk ratings, and the U.S. Census for population context. Dates are shown in UTC and recent entries may still be revised by NOAA.
Nearby
Neighbouring counties
- Añasco Municipio 79
- Arroyo Municipio 29
- Aibonito Municipio 129
- Barceloneta Municipio 38
- Aguas Buenas Municipio 87
- Barranquitas Municipio 31
Cite this page
“Arecibo Municipio, Puerto Rico.” Severe Weather History. severeweatherhistory.com/county/puerto-rico/arecibo-municipio/ · Data: NOAA/NCEI, FEMA, U.S. Census — public domain.