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NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database

Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit San Lorenzo, 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

66 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico since 1851, 35 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
35

within 75 mi, since 1851

Tropical storms
31

below hurricane strength

Tornadoes
9

within 25 mi, since 1950

EF3 or stronger
0

no recorded deaths

What the records show for San Lorenzo

The strongest storm to pass near San Lorenzo was Irma in 2017, a Category 5 hurricane with 173 mph winds when its centre passed 61 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1932, whose centre crossed the city. The record near San Lorenzo begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ernesto in 2024, a tropical storm 50 miles away. Of the 66 systems, 14 have come since 2000. San Lorenzo has more hurricanes within 75 miles than any other 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 7 miles. Of the 9, none 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. San Lorenzo has more tornadoes within 25 miles than 56% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities.

Compare San Lorenzo's storm record with another city →

Tropical storms and hurricanes near San Lorenzo

Tropical systems that passed within 75 miles of San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, newest first
YearStormClosestStrength when closestPeak
2024ErnestoAug 1450 miTropical storm (67 mph)Category 2
2022FionaSep 1859 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 4
2021FredAug 1159 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
2020LauraAug 2231 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
2019KarenSep 2435 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
2019DorianAug 2856 miCategory 1 (82 mph)Category 5
2017MariaSep 206 miCategory 4 (146 mph)Category 5
2017IrmaSep 661 miCategory 5 (173 mph)Category 5
2015ErikaAug 2855 miTropical storm (52 mph)Tropical storm
2011IreneAug 225 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 3
2007OlgaDec 1122 miTropical storm (45 mph)Tropical storm
2004JeanneSep 1511 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
2001DeanAug 2254 miTropical storm (56 mph)Tropical storm
2000DebbyAug 2254 miCategory 1 (75 mph)Category 1
1999JoseOct 2172 miTropical storm (64 mph)Category 2
1998GeorgesSep 212 miCategory 3 (112 mph)Category 4
1996HortenseSep 1054 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 4
1996BerthaJul 865 miCategory 1 (89 mph)Category 3
1995MarilynSep 1651 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 3
1989HugoSep 1824 miCategory 3 (125 mph)Category 5
1984KlausNov 715 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 1
1981GertSep 83 miTropical storm (55 mph)Category 2
1979FredericSep 44 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1975EloiseSep 1662 miTropical storm (41 mph)Category 3
1956BetsyAug 1212 miCategory 2 (97 mph)Category 3
1955HildaSep 1273 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1953DollySep 847 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 1
1950BakerAug 2328 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1949Unnamed 1949 stormSep 352 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1943Unnamed 1943 stormAug 1473 miTropical storm (46 mph)Tropical storm
1940Unnamed 1940 stormAug 561 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 2
1938Unnamed 1938 stormAug 862 miTropical storm (59 mph)Tropical storm
1933Unnamed 1933 stormJul 2652 miCategory 1 (86 mph)Category 1
1932Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27overheadCategory 3 (121 mph)Category 4
1931Unnamed 1931 stormSep 1124 miCategory 1 (84 mph)Category 2
1931Unnamed 1931 stormAug 1756 miTropical storm (40 mph)Tropical storm
1930Unnamed 1930 stormSep 263 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 4
1928Unnamed 1928 stormSep 138 miCategory 5 (159 mph)Category 5
1928Unnamed 1928 stormAug 367 miTropical storm (40 mph)Category 2
1926Unnamed 1926 stormJul 2355 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 4
1924Unnamed 1924 stormAug 2967 miCategory 2 (109 mph)Category 2
1924Unnamed 1924 stormAug 1949 miTropical storm (46 mph)Category 3
1919Unnamed 1919 stormSep 341 miTropical storm (47 mph)Category 4
1916Unnamed 1916 stormAug 228 miCategory 2 (96 mph)Category 2
1916Unnamed 1916 stormJul 1311 miTropical storm (51 mph)Category 2
1910Unnamed 1910 stormSep 745 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 2
1909Unnamed 1909 stormAug 2255 miCategory 1 (92 mph)Category 3
1908Unnamed 1908 stormSep 1071 miTropical storm (69 mph)Category 3
1901Unnamed 1901 stormSep 1219 miTropical storm (58 mph)Category 1
1901Unnamed 1901 stormJul 756 miTropical storm (63 mph)Category 1
1900Unnamed 1900 stormAug 3149 miTropical storm (52 mph)Category 4
1899Unnamed 1899 stormAug 816 miCategory 4 (138 mph)Category 4
1898Unnamed 1898 stormOct 2852 miTropical storm (58 mph)Tropical storm
1896Unnamed 1896 stormSep 138 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 3
1894Unnamed 1894 stormOct 1462 miCategory 2 (98 mph)Category 4
1893Unnamed 1893 stormAug 178 miCategory 3 (114 mph)Category 3
1891Unnamed 1891 stormAug 2075 miCategory 2 (107 mph)Category 3
1889Unnamed 1889 stormSep 368 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 2
1878Unnamed 1878 stormNov 2814 miTropical storm (69 mph)Tropical storm
1876Unnamed 1876 stormSep 134 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 3
1871Unnamed 1871 stormAug 2266 miCategory 3 (115 mph)Category 3
1867Unnamed 1867 stormOct 2912 miCategory 2 (99 mph)Category 3
1859Unnamed 1859 stormSep 370 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1852Unnamed 1852 stormSep 2466 miCategory 1 (81 mph)Category 1
1852Unnamed 1852 stormSep 532 miCategory 1 (79 mph)Category 1
1851Unnamed 1851 stormAug 1864 miCategory 2 (104 mph)Category 3

Strength is the sustained wind on the track at the closest point, which is not the wind felt in San Lorenzo: 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 San Lorenzo

By decade

  • 2020s1
  • 2010s2
  • 2000s2
  • 1990s2
  • 1970s1
  • 1960s1
Strongest tornadoes near San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico
DateRatingDistancePathKilled / injured
Aug 30, 1974F17 mi2 mi0 / 0
May 5, 1969F113 mi1.5 mi0 / 1
Mar 16, 2023EF06 mi0.25 mi0 / 0
Sep 30, 2019EF021 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
Mar 26, 2017EF016 mi0.43 mi0 / 0
Aug 25, 2000F021 mi1 mi0 / 0
Feb 23, 2000F017 mi0.2 mi0 / 0
Sep 8, 1999F010 mi0.1 mi0 / 0
May 1, 1995F020 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 San Lorenzo

The Storm Prediction Center has no hail reports within 10 miles of San Lorenzo since 1955.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.

Weather by month in San Lorenzo

The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Juncos 1 SE, PR RQ, 6 miles northeast of San Lorenzo at 213 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 89°F and low of 72°F; January is the coolest, at 82°F and 65°F. September is the wettest at 8.7 inches of precipitation on average and February the driest at 2.5 inches; the year adds up to 67.5 inches over 113 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 64% of the year's precipitation (43.4 of 67.5 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 66 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (29); a normal September there has highs of 89°F and 8.7 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 104 days a year, almost all from March to November. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 67.5 inches is more than at 15 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (71%). Caguas, 7 miles northwest, has its own station (Gurabo Substn, PR RQ): 64.7 inches a year, 2.8 less than here, and an August average high of 91°F against 89°F.

Water temperature at the NOAA tide station San Juan, La Puntilla, San Juan Bay, PR, 23 miles northwest, averaged 86°F in September and 80°F in February over 2021–2025. Sea level at the San Juan tide gauge, 23 miles from San Lorenzo, 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 Juncos 1 SE, PR RQ
MonthHigh °FLow °FPrecip. inDays ≥ 0.1"Water °F
Jan82653.3881
Feb83652.5780
Mar84652.9681
Apr85684.8782
May86716.41083
Jun88725.21084
Jul88727.01185
Aug89727.21086
Sep89728.71186
Oct87717.61186
Nov85697.71285
Dec83664.21082
Year866967.511383

Averages for 1991–2020 at Juncos 1 SE, PR RQ (213 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 San Lorenzo

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 284 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of San Lorenzo: 180 flash floods, 69 floods, 20 heavy rain events, 13 thunderstorm wind reports and 2 lightning strikes. They killed 4 people and injured 2, and the NWS estimated $5.6 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 55 mph, on November 10, 2024. October has had the most flash floods, 41 of 180. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 63 have had fewer than San Lorenzo.

  • November 10, 2022: flash flood 7 miles from the centre of San Lorenzo — 1 killed, 1 injured, $5,000 damage.

  • November 16, 2024: flash flood 5 miles from the centre of San Lorenzo — 1 killed, $60,000 damage.

  • September 21, 2008: flash flood 3 miles from the centre of San Lorenzo — 1 killed, $10,000 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

Flood insurance policyholders in San Lorenzo's ZIP code 00754 have filed 25 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1978, and were paid $553,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 76% 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, 15 have fewer than San Lorenzo.

San Lorenzo Municipio, which includes San Lorenzo, has been named in 30 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 20 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 hurricanes, 7 severe storms, 5 floods, 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 San Lorenzo