NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Sabana Grande, 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
51 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Sabana Grande, Puerto Rico since 1851, 25 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Fiona in 2022. Since 1950, 14 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 25
- Tropical storms
- 26
- Tornadoes
- 14
- 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 Sabana Grande
The strongest storm to pass near Sabana Grande was an unnamed storm in 1928, a Category 4 hurricane with 140 mph winds when its centre passed 22 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was Georges in 1998, whose centre crossed the city. The record near Sabana Grande begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Fiona in 2022, a Category 1 hurricane 11 miles away. The 1890s and the 2010s were the busiest decades, with 5 systems each. Of the 51 systems, 10 have come since 2000. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site, 91% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Sabana Grande. The strongest of the 14 tornadoes within 25 miles was an F1 on June 7, 1962; its path came within 19 miles. Of the 14, one had a path within 5 miles of the city centre, and 9 have come since 2000. The most recent tornado was on July 27, 2019. Sabana Grande has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 79% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 2 times since 2013, with stones up to 0.25 inches. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities, 60% have more hail reports within 10 miles than Sabana Grande.
Compare Sabana Grande's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Sabana Grande
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | FionaSep 18 | 11 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 11 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | LauraAug 22 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2018 | BerylJul 9 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2017 | MariaSep 20 | 31 mi | Category 3 (117 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2015 | ErikaAug 28 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2014 | BerthaAug 2 | 35 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 22 | 46 mi | Category 1 (78 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2007 | OlgaDec 11 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 15 | 23 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 22 | overhead | Category 2 (107 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | HortenseSep 10 | 4 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 18 | 75 mi | Category 3 (123 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1984 | KlausNov 7 | 66 mi | Tropical storm (47 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | GertSep 8 | 47 mi | Tropical storm (53 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 4 | overhead | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1967 | BeulahSep 10 | 74 mi | Category 4 (138 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1963 | EdithSep 26 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (72 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1961 | FrancesOct 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1958 | GerdaSep 14 | 59 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1956 | BetsyAug 12 | 29 mi | Category 1 (94 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | DollySep 8 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (41 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 23 | 53 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 21 | 53 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1945 | Unnamed 1945 stormAug 3 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1943 | Unnamed 1943 stormOct 14 | 48 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 9 | 73 mi | Tropical storm (55 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27 | 9 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormSep 11 | 30 mi | Category 1 (79 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 2 | 38 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 13 | 22 mi | Category 4 (140 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 23 | 15 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 3 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 22 | 16 mi | Category 1 (83 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 13 | 61 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 7 | 33 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 22 | 38 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 12 | 30 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 7 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (67 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 8 | 20 mi | Category 3 (129 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1 | 3 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 17 | 25 mi | Category 2 (106 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormAug 20 | 39 mi | Category 2 (102 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormNov 29 | 16 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 13 | 10 mi | Category 1 (90 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 30 | 14 mi | Category 1 (89 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormAug 26 | 49 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 5 | 3 mi | Tropical storm (71 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 18 | 42 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 Sabana Grande: 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 Sabana Grande
By decade
- 2010s4
- 2000s5
- 1990s2
- 1960s2
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 7, 1962 | F1 | 19 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 27, 2019 | EF0 | 5 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 1, 2013 | EF0 | 24 mi | 0.3 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 13, 2012 | EF0 | 15 mi | 0.02 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 7, 2011 | EF0 | 23 mi | 0.8 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 6, 2007 | EF0 | 21 mi | 1.28 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 15, 2006 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 16, 2004 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Oct 4, 2002 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jun 3, 2001 | F0 | 22 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Sep 6, 1999 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 20, 1999 | F0 | 14 mi | 0.5 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 12 of 14, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Sabana Grande
The Storm Prediction Center has 2 hail reports within 10 miles of Sabana Grande since 2013. None of them reached 1 inch. The largest size, 0.25 inches, was reported on 2 days, most recently April 5, 2023. The most recent report is from April 5, 2023.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Sabana Grande
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Lajas Substn, PR RQ, 9 miles west of Sabana Grande at 90 feet. July is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 70°F; February is the coolest, at 87°F and 62°F. October is the wettest at 6.3 inches of precipitation on average and December the driest at 2.0 inches; the year adds up to 44.9 inches over 74 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 63% of the year's precipitation (28.2 of 44.9 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 51 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (24); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 5.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 200 days a year. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 44.9 inches is more than at 3 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (14%). Yauco, 6 miles east, has its own station (Adjuntas Substn, PR RQ): 80.2 inches a year, 35.3 more than here, and a July average high of 85°F against 92°F.
Water temperature at the NOAA tide station Magueyes Island, PR, 10 miles southwest, averaged 88°F in September and 81°F in February over 2021–2025. Sea level at the Magueyes Island tide gauge, 10 miles from Sabana Grande, has risen 0.81 ± 0.06 inches per decade from 1955 to 2025, NOAA's linear trend; at that pace it is 8.1 inches in a hundred years. That is faster than at 41 of the 144 U.S. gauges with a NOAA trend.
| Month | High °F | Low °F | Precip. in | Days ≥ 0.1" | Water °F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 87 | 62 | 2.2 | 4 | 81 |
| Feb | 87 | 62 | 2.3 | 4 | 81 |
| Mar | 87 | 63 | 2.5 | 5 | 82 |
| Apr | 88 | 66 | 3.3 | 6 | 83 |
| May | 90 | 69 | 4.4 | 6 | 84 |
| Jun | 91 | 70 | 2.2 | 3 | 85 |
| Jul | 92 | 70 | 3.5 | 6 | 86 |
| Aug | 92 | 70 | 4.9 | 8 | 87 |
| Sep | 91 | 70 | 5.7 | 9 | 88 |
| Oct | 91 | 70 | 6.3 | 10 | 87 |
| Nov | 89 | 67 | 5.6 | 8 | 84 |
| Dec | 88 | 64 | 2.0 | 4 | 83 |
| Year | 90 | 67 | 44.9 | 74 | 84 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Lajas Substn, PR RQ (90 ft), from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals; water temperature: average of hourly readings 2021–2025 at the NOAA tide station Magueyes Island, 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 Sabana Grande
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 155 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Sabana Grande: 74 flash floods, 54 floods, 13 thunderstorm wind reports, 12 heavy rain events and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 2 people and injured 1, and the NWS estimated $1.4 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 52 mph, on July 17, 2010. May has had the most flash floods, 27 of 74. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 43 have had fewer than Sabana Grande.
September 24, 2025: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of Sabana Grande — 1 killed, 1 injured, $17,000 damage.
April 23, 2010: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of Sabana Grande — 1 killed, $10,000 damage.
October 26, 2012: flash flood 6 miles from the centre of Sabana Grande — $500,000 damage.
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
Sabana Grande Municipio, which includes Sabana Grande, has been named in 28 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 17 of them major disasters (by incident: 11 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 2 biological emergencies). The latest major disaster declaration was Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides, on July 23, 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.