Flash Flood — Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

2024-11-16 · near Yabucoa, Yabucoa, Puerto Rico

Event narrative

Around 8:44 PM on November 16, 2024, a 63-year-old male and his passenger, a 39-year-old woman, crossed a low-level crossing/bridge in Barrio Guayabota, Sector Sasa, particularly on road 182 km 12. This bridge was covered with water as Guayanes River went over it due to the heavy rainfall activity that the municipality of Yabucoa was receiving. Radar estimates and observations suggested around 2 to 4 inches of rain in the area of the incident and around 6 inches across the municipality. As they crossed the bridge, the Ford F-150 that they were in got dragged into the fast-flowing river. During this event, the woman was trapped in the vehicle, that became lodged under rubble, and drowned.

Wider weather episode

By the 16th, moisture remained from a front that passed Puerto Rico and the U.S.

Virgin Islands, and was located southeast of them. A second front was approaching the area and brought additional rain late on the 16th and the 17th. In addition a surface trough and an upper level trough also helped increased flooding risk, and promoted unsettled weather conditions that will lead to flooding rains in several location across the area. Stations over southeast PR (the most affected) reported rainfall between 3-6 inches over that weekend. Several flooding and flash flooding events were reported, including one that sadly led to a fatality.

View location on OpenStreetMap → (18.0823, -65.9570)

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event_id 1221964. Narrative written by the NWS forecast office that issued the report.