Flash Flood — Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

2022-09-19 · near Cabo Rojo, Adjuntas, Puerto Rico

Event narrative

A lane on the road 109, near the municipal cemetery, collapsed due to excessive rainfall.

Wider weather episode

Hurricane Fiona made landfall on Sunday the 18th around 3:20 PM AST near Punta Tocn in southwestern Puerto Rico. Strong, gusty winds accompanied much of the stronger convection embedded within the hurricane. Hurricane-force gusts were observed over portions of southern Puerto Rico during the afternoon on Sunday. These gusty winds, combined with ground saturation, resulted in damage across the island due to fallen trees and power lines.

Fiona resulted in excessive rainfall, especially for southern into eastern Puerto Rico. In areas along the Cordillera and around El Yunque, widespread rainfall totals of over 16 inches were seen, most of which fell on Sunday. Preliminary estimates suggest that over 24 inches of rain were seen locally, mostly around Cayey and southern Caguas and Aibonito to southern Jayuya. Multiple rivers in eastern Puerto Rico, mostly those that had been most affected by the previous week's rain, reached major flooding. Widespread flooding was reported, mostly in southern and central Puerto Rico. Numerous mudslides were also reported throughout the affected areas of steep terrain.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (18.2800, -67.1500)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1058560. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.