Debris Flow — Moca, Puerto Rico

2024-04-24 · near Moca, Moca, Puerto Rico

$1K

Property damage

Event narrative

An emergency manager from Moca called to inform us that there was a landslide in PR-495, km 3.5 (Cerro Gordo community). They informed that the landslide got close to a residence but did not reach it.

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 → (18.3200, -67.1000)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1176375. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.