NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Aguas Buenas, PR
Every tropical system within 75 miles since 1851 and every tornado within 25 miles since 1950.
Data: NOAA NHC HURDAT2 and NOAA SPC tornado and hail reports, through 2025 · Updated
65 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Aguas Buenas, Puerto Rico since 1851, 33 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ernesto in 2024. Since 1950, 9 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 33
- Tropical storms
- 32
- Tornadoes
- 9
- EF3 or stronger
- 0
within 75 mi, since 1851
below hurricane strength
within 25 mi, since 1950
no recorded deaths
What the records show for Aguas Buenas
The strongest storm to pass near Aguas Buenas was Irma in 2017, a Category 5 hurricane with 173 mph winds when its centre passed 59 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1932, whose centre came within 4 miles. The record near Aguas Buenas begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ernesto in 2024, a tropical storm 49 miles away. The 1930s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 6 systems each. Of the 65 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Aguas Buenas has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 80% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site. The highest rating among the 9 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 30, 1974, came within 8 miles. Of the 9, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 5 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2023. Aguas Buenas has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2025, with stones of 0.25 inches. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Aguas Buenas.
Compare Aguas Buenas's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Aguas Buenas
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ErnestoAug 14 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (68 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2022 | FionaSep 18 | 57 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 11 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | LauraAug 22 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | KarenSep 24 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | DorianAug 28 | 61 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | MariaSep 20 | 5 mi | Category 4 (135 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 6 | 59 mi | Category 5 (173 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2015 | ErikaAug 28 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 22 | 6 mi | Category 1 (76 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2007 | OlgaDec 11 | 17 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 15 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2001 | DeanAug 22 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | DebbyAug 22 | 51 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | JoseOct 21 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (62 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 21 | 5 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | HortenseSep 10 | 50 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 8 | 66 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | MarilynSep 16 | 53 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 18 | 28 mi | Category 3 (125 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1984 | KlausNov 7 | 27 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | GertSep 8 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 4 | 10 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 16 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (43 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1956 | BetsyAug 12 | 11 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | HildaSep 12 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | DollySep 8 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 23 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 3 | 44 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormAug 14 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 5 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 8 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 26 | 53 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27 | 4 mi | Category 3 (116 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormSep 11 | 18 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormAug 17 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 2 | 66 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 13 | 10 mi | Category 4 (154 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 3 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 23 | 55 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 29 | 70 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 19 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 3 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (48 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 22 | 11 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 13 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 7 | 51 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 22 | 60 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormSep 10 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 12 | 13 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 7 | 55 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormAug 31 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 8 | 17 mi | Category 4 (137 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 28 | 58 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1 | 37 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 14 | 68 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 17 | 9 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 3 | 69 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 14 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormNov 28 | 21 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 13 | 9 mi | Category 2 (101 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 22 | 65 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 29 | 5 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 24 | 61 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 5 | 33 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 18 | 68 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Aguas Buenas: a hurricane's worst winds sit within a few dozen miles of its centre, and inland cities are usually past that.
Tornadoes within 25 miles of Aguas Buenas
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s2
- 1990s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 1974 | F1 | 8 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1969 | F1 | 4 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 16, 2023 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 2019 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 2017 | EF0 | 11 mi | 0.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2000 | F0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 2000 | F0 | 11 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1999 | F0 | 21 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1995 | F0 | 11 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 9 of 9, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Aguas Buenas
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Aguas Buenas, from October 18, 2025: 0.25 inches.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Aguas Buenas
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Gurabo Substn, PR RQ, 9 miles east of Aguas Buenas at 160 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 91°F and low of 71°F; February is the coolest, at 85°F and 61°F. September is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.6 inches; the year adds up to 64.7 inches over 109 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 63% of the year's precipitation (40.6 of 64.7 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 65 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (28); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 8.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 155 days a year. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 64.7 inches is more than at 12 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (57%). Cidra, 6 miles southwest, has its own station (Aibonito 1 S, PR RQ): 61.7 inches a year, 3.0 less than here, and an August average high of 82°F against 91°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station San Juan, La Puntilla, San Juan Bay, PR, 15 miles north, averaged 86°F in September and 80°F in February over 2021–2025. Sea level at the San Juan tide gauge, 15 miles from Aguas Buenas, has risen 0.85 ± 0.06 inches per decade from 1962 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 8.5 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 45 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85 | 62 | 3.7 | 9 | 81 |
| Feb | 85 | 61 | 2.6 | 7 | 80 |
| Mar | 86 | 63 | 3.9 | 6 | 81 |
| Apr | 88 | 66 | 4.2 | 7 | 82 |
| May | 89 | 69 | 5.4 | 10 | 83 |
| Jun | 90 | 70 | 3.8 | 8 | 84 |
| Jul | 90 | 70 | 5.9 | 10 | 85 |
| Aug | 91 | 71 | 8.2 | 10 | 86 |
| Sep | 90 | 70 | 8.7 | 11 | 86 |
| Oct | 90 | 69 | 7.0 | 10 | 86 |
| Nov | 88 | 67 | 7.0 | 11 | 85 |
| Dec | 85 | 64 | 4.3 | 9 | 82 |
| Year | 88 | 67 | 64.7 | 109 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Gurabo Substn, PR RQ (160 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station San Juan, La Puntilla, San Juan Bay, PR, from NOAA Tides & Currents. Normals describe the station; the farther a place is from it, and the bigger the difference in height, the more its weather can differ.
Floods, thunderstorm wind and lightning near Aguas Buenas
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 389 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Aguas Buenas: 189 flash floods, 128 floods, 37 heavy rain events, 31 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $3.26 billion in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on June 22, 2015. May has had the most flash floods, 40 of 189. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 68 have had fewer than Aguas Buenas.
April 28, 2025: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Aguas Buenas — 1 killed, $25,000 damage.
September 19, 2022: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Aguas Buenas — 1 killed.
September 20, 2017: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Aguas Buenas — $750.0 million damage.
NWS: “Heavy rain associated to hurricane Maria resulted in mudslides and rockslides.”
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, events whose starting point is on record, 1996 to June 30, 2026. Damage is the NWS estimate in the dollars of the year, not insured losses, and NWS notes that some reports are unverified.
Flood insurance claims, disaster declarations and FEMA risk ratings
Aguas Buenas Municipio, which includes Aguas Buenas, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 18 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 5 floods, 4 severe storms, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Tropical Storm Ernesto, on November 27, 2024.
Claims: FEMA, OpenFEMA Dataset FIMA NFIP Redacted Claims – v3, summed over ZIP codes; payments in the dollars of each year, not adjusted for inflation. Declarations: Disaster Declarations Summaries – v2, by county. Retrieved October 25, 2026. This product uses the Federal Emergency Management Agency's OpenFEMA API, but is not endorsed by FEMA. The Federal Government or FEMA cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from the Agency's website(s).
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.