NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Arroyo, 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
59 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Arroyo, Puerto Rico since 1851, 30 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ernesto in 2024. Since 1950, 5 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 30
- Tropical storms
- 29
- Tornadoes
- 5
- 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 Arroyo
The strongest storm to pass near Arroyo was Irma in 2017, a Category 5 hurricane with 173 mph winds when its centre passed 74 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Betsy in 1956, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Arroyo begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ernesto in 2024, a tropical storm 62 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 7 systems, 3 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 59 systems, 15 have come since 2000. Arroyo has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 54% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site. The highest rating among the 5 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 30, 1974, came within 19 miles. Of the 5, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 2 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2023. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities, 72% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Arroyo.
Compare Arroyo's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Arroyo
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ErnestoAug 14 | 62 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2022 | FionaSep 18 | 47 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 11 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | LauraAug 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | KarenSep 24 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | DorianAug 28 | 68 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | MariaSep 20 | 7 mi | Category 4 (147 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 6 | 74 mi | Category 5 (173 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2015 | ErikaAug 28 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2014 | BerthaAug 2 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 22 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2007 | OlgaDec 11 | 34 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 15 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2001 | DeanAug 22 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | DebbyAug 22 | 67 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 21 | 11 mi | Category 3 (110 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | HortenseSep 10 | 42 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | MarilynSep 16 | 64 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 18 | 37 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1984 | KlausNov 7 | 14 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | GertSep 8 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 4 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 16 | 75 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1956 | BetsyAug 12 | overhead | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | DollySep 8 | 54 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 23 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 21 | 71 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 3 | 64 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 5 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 8 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 26 | 65 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27 | 13 mi | Category 3 (120 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormSep 11 | 35 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormAug 17 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 2 | 50 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 13 | 5 mi | Category 5 (158 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 23 | 42 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 19 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 22 | 5 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 13 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (51 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 7 | 33 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 22 | 43 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 12 | 31 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 7 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (63 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormAug 31 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 8 | 3 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 28 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1 | 25 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 14 | 72 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 17 | 5 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormAug 20 | 62 mi | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormNov 28 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 13 | 8 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 29 | 23 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1859 | Unnamed 1859 stormSep 3 | 64 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormAug 26 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 5 | 19 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 18 | 52 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 Arroyo: 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 Arroyo
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2000s1
- 1990s1
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 1974 | F1 | 19 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1969 | F1 | 22 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 16, 2023 | EF0 | 17 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2000 | F0 | 18 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1999 | F0 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 5 of 5, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Arroyo
The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of Arroyo since 1955.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Arroyo
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Guayama 2E, PR RQ, 2 miles west of Arroyo at 72 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 90°F and low of 77°F; February is the coolest, at 86°F and 72°F. September is the wettest at 7.3 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 1.7 inches; the year adds up to 54.5 inches over 95 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 69% of the year's precipitation (37.6 of 54.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 59 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal September there has highs of 90°F and 7.3 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 99 days a year, almost all from March to December. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 54.5 inches is more than at 6 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (29%). Cayey, 11 miles northwest, has its own station (Aibonito 1 S, PR RQ): 61.7 inches a year, 7.2 more than here, and an August average high of 82°F against 90°F.
Sea level at the San Juan tide gauge, 33 miles from Arroyo, 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" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 85 | 72 | 2.4 | 6 |
| Feb | 86 | 72 | 1.7 | 5 |
| Mar | 86 | 72 | 1.9 | 5 |
| Apr | 87 | 74 | 2.8 | 6 |
| May | 88 | 76 | 5.3 | 9 |
| Jun | 89 | 77 | 4.6 | 9 |
| Jul | 90 | 78 | 5.5 | 9 |
| Aug | 90 | 77 | 7.1 | 10 |
| Sep | 90 | 77 | 7.3 | 10 |
| Oct | 89 | 76 | 7.2 | 11 |
| Nov | 88 | 75 | 5.9 | 9 |
| Dec | 87 | 73 | 2.8 | 7 |
| Year | 88 | 75 | 54.5 | 95 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Guayama 2E, PR RQ (72 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals. 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 Arroyo
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 119 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Arroyo: 74 flash floods, 28 floods, 9 thunderstorm wind reports and 8 heavy rain events. They killed 5 people and injured 0, and the NWS estimated $753.1 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 58 mph, on July 30, 2020. August has had the most flash floods, 20 of 74. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 43 have had fewer than Arroyo.
September 21, 2008: flash flood 4 miles from the centre of Arroyo — 2 killed.
November 16, 2024: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Arroyo — 1 killed, $60,000 damage.
September 21, 2008: flash flood 8 miles from the centre of Arroyo — 1 killed.
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
Flood insurance policyholders in Arroyo's ZIP code 00714 have filed 155 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $339,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Tropical Storm Jeanne in 2004: 33 claims (21% of all) and $53,000, then Hurricane Georges in 1998 with 24 and Tropical/Subtropical System 93L in 2008 with 19. 65% of the claims carry the name of a storm or flood event; the rest have no event name. Of the 72 Puerto Rico cities on this site with 10 or more claims, 41 have fewer than Arroyo.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Tropical Storm Jeanne2004 | 33 | $53,000 |
| Hurricane Georges1998 | 24 | $47,000 |
| Tropical/Subtropical System 93L2008 | 19 | $41,000 |
Arroyo Municipio, which includes Arroyo, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 13 hurricanes, 5 floods, 5 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.
Cities near Arroyo
- Patillas, PR4 mi
- Guayama, PR5 mi
- Maunabo, PR10 mi
- Cayey, PR11 mi
- Aguirre, PR11 mi
- Yabucoa, PR12 mi
- San Lorenzo, PR13 mi
- Salinas, PR14 mi
- Cidra, PR14 mi
- Aibonito, PR17 mi
- Caguas, PR17 mi
- Las Piedras, PR18 mi
All Puerto Rico cities →All hurricanes since 1851 →Compare Arroyo with another place →