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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

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
34

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
8

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

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

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of Canovanas, Puerto Rico, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2024ErnestoAug 1435 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 2
2022FionaSep 1873 miCategory 1 (82 mph)Category 4
2021FredAug 1174 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2020LauraAug 2245 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
2019KarenSep 2437 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2019DorianAug 2844 miCategory 1 (83 mph)Category 5
2017MariaSep 2021 miCategory 4 (143 mph)Category 5
2017IrmaSep 646 miCategory 5 (173 mph)Category 5
2015ErikaAug 2869 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
2011IreneAug 229 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 3
2007OlgaDec 118 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
2004JeanneSep 1525 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
2001DeanAug 2240 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
2000DebbyAug 2239 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 1
1999JoseOct 2159 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 2
1998GeorgesSep 2116 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 4
1996HortenseSep 1066 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 851 miCategory 1 (89 mph)Category 3
1995MarilynSep 1637 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 3
1989HugoSep 1811 miCategory 3 (125 mph)Category 5
1984KlausNov 722 miTropical storm (53 mph)Category 1
1981GertSep 811 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1979FredericSep 418 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1975EloiseSep 1648 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 3
1969AnnaJul 3173 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1956BetsyAug 1226 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 3
1955HildaSep 1260 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1953DollySep 841 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1950BakerAug 2343 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormSep 328 miTropical storm (39 mph)Category 3
1943Unnamed 1943 stormAug 1459 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1940Unnamed 1940 stormAug 547 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1938Unnamed 1938 stormAug 848 miTropical storm (59 mph)Tropical storm
1933Unnamed 1933 stormJul 2638 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 1
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 2714 miCategory 3 (122 mph)Category 4
1931Unnamed 1931 stormSep 1110 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 2
1931Unnamed 1931 stormAug 1742 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 1323 miCategory 5 (158 mph)Category 5
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 353 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1926Unnamed 1926 stormJul 2370 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 4
1924Unnamed 1924 stormAug 2954 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 2
1924Unnamed 1924 stormAug 1937 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1919Unnamed 1919 stormSep 356 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 4
1916Unnamed 1916 stormAug 2223 miCategory 2 (96 mph)Category 2
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 133 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 2
1910Unnamed 1910 stormSep 659 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 2
1909Unnamed 1909 stormAug 2270 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 3
1908Unnamed 1908 stormSep 1057 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1901Unnamed 1901 stormSep 125 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1901Unnamed 1901 stormJul 770 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 1
1900Unnamed 1900 stormAug 3163 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1899Unnamed 1899 stormAug 831 miCategory 4 (138 mph)Category 4
1898Unnamed 1898 stormOct 2866 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 152 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1451 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 4
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 1722 miCategory 3 (114 mph)Category 3
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 354 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 2
1887Unnamed 1887 stormOct 1072 miTropical storm (66 mph)Category 1
1879Unnamed 1879 stormAug 1461 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1878Unnamed 1878 stormNov 2828 miTropical storm (69 mph)Tropical storm
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 1318 miCategory 2 (105 mph)Category 3
1871Unnamed 1871 stormAug 2251 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 3
1867Unnamed 1867 stormOct 291 miCategory 2 (100 mph)Category 3
1852Unnamed 1852 stormSep 2451 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1852Unnamed 1852 stormSep 546 miCategory 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
Strongest tornadoes near Canovanas, Puerto Rico
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Aug 30, 1974F110 mi2 mi0 / 0
May 5, 1969F114 mi1.5 mi0 / 1
Mar 16, 2023EF012 mi0.25 mi0 / 0
Sep 30, 2019EF018 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Mar 26, 2017EF09 mi0.43 mi0 / 0
Feb 23, 2000F012 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Sep 8, 1999F015 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 1, 1995F015 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.

Monthly climate normals 1991–2020 at WFO San Juan, PR RQ
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Water °F
Jan83704.61181
Feb83702.8880
Mar84712.7881
Apr85725.3882
May87756.41083
Jun89764.6984
Jul88766.51185
Aug89776.91286
Sep89766.41186
Oct88755.61186
Nov86737.91285
Dec84725.71382
Year867465.412383

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.

Flood insurance claims in Canovanas by named event
EventClaimsPaid
Hurricane Georges1998220$1.1 million
Tropical Storm Jeanne2004105$839,000
Hurricane Irene201170$212,000
Hurricane Hortense199644$133,000
Hurricane Hugo198930$127,000
Hurricane Maria201722$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.

Cities near Canovanas