Coastal Flood · Puerto Rico

Coastal flooding occurred near La Palmita Beach in Barceloneta during the afternoon of February 9, 2026. Emergency managers reported that water and debris covered portions of Road 681 due to wave run-up from large swells. The flooding impacted the roadway and required cleanup operations. The event was caused by large breaking waves associated with a long-period northerly swell.

A large, long-period northwest to northerly swell impacted the Atlantic waters and local passages of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands from February 9 through February 11, 2026. This swell developed over the western Atlantic, maintaining hazardous marine conditions across the region.

Seas built to hazardous levels, with buoy observations indicating wave heights near 9 feet and long periods of 14 to 15 seconds. These conditions generated large breaking waves along north- to northeast-facing coastlines, with surf heights estimated between 10 and 16 feet.

The swell produced dangerous marine and coastal conditions, including life-threatening rip currents, high surf, and minor coastal flooding across exposed coastal areas of Puerto Rico, Culebra, Vieques, and the northern U.S. Virgin Islands. The most significant impacts occurred from February 9 through February 10, with hazardous conditions gradually subsiding by February 11.