NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Canovanas, 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 Canovanas, Puerto Rico since 1851, 31 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ernesto in 2024. Since 1950, 8 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 31
- Tropical storms
- 34
- Tornadoes
- 8
- 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 Canovanas
The strongest storm to pass near Canovanas was Irma in 2017, a Category 5 hurricane with 173 mph winds when its centre passed 46 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1867, whose centre came within 1 mile. The record near Canovanas begins with an unnamed storm in 1852; the most recent system was Ernesto in 2024, a tropical storm 35 miles away. The busiest decade was the 2010s, with 6 systems, 4 of them at hurricane strength. Of the 65 systems, 14 have come since 2000. Canovanas has more hurricanes within 75 miles than 62% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site. The highest rating among the 8 tornadoes within 25 miles is F1, reached 2 times; the most recent, on August 30, 1974, came within 10 miles. Of the 8, none had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 4 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on March 16, 2023. Canovanas has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 43% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles once, in 2012, with stones of 0.75 inches (penny size). Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities, 70% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Canovanas.
Compare Canovanas's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Canovanas
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ErnestoAug 14 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2022 | FionaSep 18 | 73 mi | Category 1 (82 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 11 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | LauraAug 22 | 45 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | KarenSep 24 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2019 | DorianAug 28 | 44 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | MariaSep 20 | 21 mi | Category 4 (143 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2017 | IrmaSep 6 | 46 mi | Category 5 (173 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2015 | ErikaAug 28 | 69 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2011 | IreneAug 22 | 9 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2007 | OlgaDec 11 | 8 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 15 | 25 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2001 | DeanAug 22 | 40 mi | Tropical storm (56 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2000 | DebbyAug 22 | 39 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1999 | JoseOct 21 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 21 | 16 mi | Category 3 (112 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | HortenseSep 10 | 66 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | BerthaJul 8 | 51 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1995 | MarilynSep 16 | 37 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 18 | 11 mi | Category 3 (125 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1984 | KlausNov 7 | 22 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | GertSep 8 | 11 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 4 | 18 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 16 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1969 | AnnaJul 31 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | BetsyAug 12 | 26 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1955 | HildaSep 12 | 60 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | DollySep 8 | 41 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 23 | 43 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 3 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (39 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormAug 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 5 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 8 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (59 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 26 | 38 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27 | 14 mi | Category 3 (122 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormSep 11 | 10 mi | Category 1 (84 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormAug 17 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 13 | 23 mi | Category 5 (158 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 3 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 23 | 70 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 29 | 54 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1924 | Unnamed 1924 stormAug 19 | 37 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 3 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 22 | 23 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 13 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 6 | 59 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 22 | 70 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1908 | Unnamed 1908 stormSep 10 | 57 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 12 | 5 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 7 | 70 mi | Tropical storm (64 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormAug 31 | 63 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 8 | 31 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 28 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1 | 52 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1894 | Unnamed 1894 stormOct 14 | 51 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 17 | 22 mi | Category 3 (114 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1889 | Unnamed 1889 stormSep 3 | 54 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1887 | Unnamed 1887 stormOct 10 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1879 | Unnamed 1879 stormAug 14 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormNov 28 | 28 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 13 | 18 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1871 | Unnamed 1871 stormAug 22 | 51 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 29 | 1 mi | Category 2 (100 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 24 | 51 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 5 | 46 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 1 |
Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in Canovanas: 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 Canovanas
By decade
- 2020s1
- 2010s2
- 2000s1
- 1990s2
- 1970s1
- 1960s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 30, 1974 | F1 | 10 mi | 2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 5, 1969 | F1 | 14 mi | 1.5 mi | 0 / 1 |
| Mar 16, 2023 | EF0 | 12 mi | 0.25 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 30, 2019 | EF0 | 18 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Mar 26, 2017 | EF0 | 9 mi | 0.43 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Feb 23, 2000 | F0 | 12 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 8, 1999 | F0 | 15 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| May 1, 1995 | F0 | 15 mi | — | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 8 of 8, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Canovanas
The Storm Prediction Center has one hail report within 10 miles of Canovanas, from May 5, 2012: 0.75 inches (penny size).
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Canovanas
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is WFO San Juan, PR RQ, 8 miles northwest of Canovanas at 10 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 77°F; January and February are the coolest, at 83°F and 70°F. November is the wettest at 7.9 inches of precipitation on average and March the driest at 2.7 inches; the year adds up to 65.4 inches over 123 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 58% of the year's precipitation (37.9 of 65.4 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 65 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (27); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 6.4 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 60 days a year, almost all from March to November. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 65.4 inches is more than at 13 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (62%). Rio Grande, 5 miles east, has its own station (Juncos 1 SE, PR RQ): 67.5 inches a year, 2.1 more than here, and the same August average high, 89°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station San Juan, La Puntilla, San Juan Bay, PR, 16 miles northwest, averaged 86°F in September and 80°F in February over 2021–2025. Sea level at the San Juan tide gauge, 16 miles from Canovanas, 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 | 83 | 70 | 4.6 | 11 | 81 |
| Feb | 83 | 70 | 2.8 | 8 | 80 |
| Mar | 84 | 71 | 2.7 | 8 | 81 |
| Apr | 85 | 72 | 5.3 | 8 | 82 |
| May | 87 | 75 | 6.4 | 10 | 83 |
| Jun | 89 | 76 | 4.6 | 9 | 84 |
| Jul | 88 | 76 | 6.5 | 11 | 85 |
| Aug | 89 | 77 | 6.9 | 12 | 86 |
| Sep | 89 | 76 | 6.4 | 11 | 86 |
| Oct | 88 | 75 | 5.6 | 11 | 86 |
| Nov | 86 | 73 | 7.9 | 12 | 85 |
| Dec | 84 | 72 | 5.7 | 13 | 82 |
| Year | 86 | 74 | 65.4 | 123 | 83 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at WFO San Juan, PR RQ (10 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 Canovanas
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 347 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Canovanas: 163 flash floods, 126 floods, 32 heavy rain events, 21 thunderstorm wind reports and 5 lightning strikes. They killed 5 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $1.50 billion in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 60 mph, on May 14, 2011. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 60 have had fewer than Canovanas.
September 1, 2008: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Canovanas — 2 killed.
November 10, 2022: flash flood 9 miles from the centre of Canovanas — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.
August 23, 2011: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of Canovanas — 1 killed.
NWS: “A 62 year old woman in her vehicle was overtaken by flood waters as she attempted to drive across a flooded roadway PR-857 in Barrio Canovanillas, Cohitre sector. The women was rescued by citizens and taken to a local hospital where she later died.”
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 Canovanas's ZIP code 00729 have filed 635 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1979, and were paid $4.3 million for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. The most came from Hurricane Georges in 1998: 220 claims (35% of all) and $1.1 million, then Tropical Storm Jeanne in 2004 with 105 and Hurricane Irene in 2011 with 70. 85% 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, 62 have fewer than Canovanas.
| Event | Claims | Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Georges1998 | 220 | $1.1 million |
| Tropical Storm Jeanne2004 | 105 | $839,000 |
| Hurricane Irene2011 | 70 | $212,000 |
| Hurricane Hortense1996 | 44 | $133,000 |
| Hurricane Hugo1989 | 30 | $127,000 |
| Hurricane Maria2017 | 22 | $1.2 million |
Canóvanas Municipio, which includes Canovanas, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1974, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 15 hurricanes, 4 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).
Canovanas in the notable storm records: Hurricane Irma (2017)
What counts as a pass, the distances and the sources: how this storm history is built.