Puerto Rico Braces for Weekend Rain and Potential Flooding
San Juan, Puerto Rico – A tropical wave is forecast to bring widespread rain and thunderstorms to Puerto Rico this weekend, with localized flooding possible in specific areas. The National Weather Service (NWS) San juan issued warnings indicating that while most of the island will experience meaningful rainfall, the highest risk of flooding is concentrated in urban and windward areas.
According to the NWS, radar imagery as of 6:30 a.m. Saturday showed the wave moving across the island, already delivering heavy rainfall to eastern regions. A moderate risk of dangerous ocean currents is also in effect for most beaches in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands throughout the weekend. A small boat advisory is active in Atlantic waters offshore,extending from Saturday night through Sunday morning.
The approaching system arrives near the end of the 2023 Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1st to November 30th.The NWS highlighted climatological data showing that November typically favors tropical cyclone development in the western Caribbean, extending northeastward through Cuba and the Bahamas, and into the western and central North Atlantic.
This year’s Atlantic hurricane season has already seen the formation of 13 cyclones, including Hurricane Melissa, a recent Category 5 storm that devastated Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and higher gusts. Melissa’s passage resulted in over 50 fatalities across Jamaica, Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Haiti. Other named storms this season include Erin, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, and Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Fernand, Jerry, Karen, and Lorenzo. Storm Chantal was the only cyclone to make landfall in the U.S., causing two deaths in North Carolina in July.
