Home / Puerto Rico / Arecibo

EF0 tornado · Puerto Rico

Tornado May 2, 2024 · Arecibo, Puerto Rico

EF0

Rating

0.5 mi

Path length

4 yd

Path width

$8K

Damage as recorded

EF0EF1EF2EF3EF4EF5Unrated

The path drawn at its surveyed width of 4 yards (0.00 mi) — zoom in and the swath grows to true scale. Other tornadoes recorded nearby that day are shown faint.

What EF0 means. On the Enhanced Fujita scale, EF0 is light damage: shingles and siding peeled, gutters torn, branches broken, consistent with estimated gusts of 65–85 mph. The rating comes from a survey of the worst damage after the storm, not from a wind measurement, so it says as much about what the tornado hit as about how strong it was.

What the National Weather Service wrote

At approximately 4:58 PM on May 2, 2024, a waterspout initially

formed over the local Atlantic waters and proceeded to track

ESEward, making landfall over Albacoa Beach in Arecibo. As the

waterspout transitioned into a weak tornado, it encountered an

expanse of mangrove trees, resulting in the downing of numerous

small to medium-sized branches along its path. Additionally, the

tornado's winds affected street signs and canopy tents, which were

blown away by the force of the storm.

The wider storm

On May 2, 2024, a significant weather event unfolded as a waterspout

made landfall, impacting the Cambalache sector within the

Municipality of Arecibo. The inclement weather in this region was

spurred by a mid to upper-level trough shifting from west to east

along Puerto Rico's northern coast. Doppler radar scans revealed

several velocity couplets at an altitude of 6000 feet, indicating

the potential for turbulent weather conditions. As the

waterspout transitioned into a weak tornado, it encountered an

expanse of mangrove trees, resulting in the downing of numerous

small to medium-sized branches along its path. Additionally, the

tornado's winds affected street signs and canopy tents, which were

blown away by the force of the storm.

Began near Arecibo (18.4721, -66.7041).

Source: NOAA Storm Events Database, event 1261872. Narratives are written by the National Weather Service forecast office that issued the report.

Tornadoes near your address

See every tornado that passed near a place you know, measured to its path.