Debris Flow — Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

2024-04-23 · near Toa Baja, Toa Baja, Puerto Rico

$1K

Property damage

Event narrative

A 911 reporter informed us that there was a landslide near PR-2 just behind the Taco Bell in the municipality of Toa Baja.

Wider weather episode

A wet and unstable weather pattern was caused by a surface short-wave trough associated with the remnants of a frontal boundary. The Blended Total Precipitable Water (TPW) Percent of Normal indicated moisture levels exceeding 145% of the climatological normal from the Leeward Islands through the local area. A Saharan Air Layer also helped promote more frequent lightning. Flooding, Landslides (due to high soil saturation) and even a Funnel Cloud were reported under this unsettled weather. By Tuesday (23rd), USGS river sensors still indicate that most rivers over the eastern half of Puerto Rico exceeded the 75th percentile, with half of them surpassing the 90th percentile or well above normal.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (18.4112, -66.2545)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1176374. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.