NHC HURDAT2 · SPC Tornado Database
Hurricanes and Tornadoes That Hit Villalba, 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
54 tropical systems have passed within 75 miles of Villalba, Puerto Rico since 1851, 28 of them at hurricane strength; the most recent was Ernesto in 2024. Since 1950, 3 tornadoes have touched down within 25 miles, 0 of them rated EF3 or stronger.
- Hurricanes
- 28
- Tropical storms
- 26
- Tornadoes
- 3
- 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 Villalba
The strongest storm to pass near Villalba was an unnamed storm in 1928, a Category 4 hurricane with 148 mph winds when its centre passed 7 miles away. The closest pass by a hurricane was an unnamed storm in 1899, whose centre came within 2 miles. The record near Villalba begins with an unnamed storm in 1851; the most recent system was Ernesto in 2024, a tropical storm 68 miles away. Of the 54 systems, 12 have come since 2000. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site, 52% have more hurricanes within 75 miles than Villalba. The highest rating among the 3 tornadoes within 25 miles is F0 or EF0, reached 3 times; the most recent, on November 18, 2016, came within 21 miles. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities, 87% have more tornadoes within 25 miles than Villalba. Hail has been reported within 10 miles 17 times since 1996, with stones up to 2 inches (hen egg size). Villalba has more hail reports within 10 miles than 93% of the 86 Puerto Rico cities.
Compare Villalba's storm record with another city →
Tropical storms and hurricanes near Villalba
| Year | Storm | Closest | Strength when closest | Peak |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | ErnestoAug 14 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 2 |
| 2022 | FionaSep 18 | 35 mi | Category 1 (85 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2021 | FredAug 11 | 48 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2020 | LauraAug 22 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 2019 | KarenSep 24 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2017 | MariaSep 20 | 13 mi | Category 3 (127 mph) | Category 5 |
| 2015 | ErikaAug 28 | 46 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2014 | BerthaAug 2 | 56 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 1 |
| 2011 | IreneAug 22 | 26 mi | Category 1 (77 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2007 | OlgaDec 11 | 19 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 2004 | JeanneSep 15 | 6 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Category 3 |
| 2000 | DebbyAug 22 | 66 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1998 | GeorgesSep 22 | 3 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1996 | HortenseSep 10 | 27 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1995 | MarilynSep 16 | 75 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1989 | HugoSep 18 | 50 mi | Category 3 (124 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1984 | KlausNov 7 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1981 | GertSep 8 | 26 mi | Tropical storm (54 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1979 | FredericSep 4 | 2 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1975 | EloiseSep 16 | 72 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1956 | BetsyAug 12 | 9 mi | Category 2 (96 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1953 | DollySep 8 | 39 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1950 | BakerAug 23 | 29 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 21 | 68 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1949 | Unnamed 1949 stormSep 3 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (45 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1940 | Unnamed 1940 stormAug 5 | 67 mi | Tropical storm (46 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1938 | Unnamed 1938 stormAug 9 | 68 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1933 | Unnamed 1933 stormJul 26 | 73 mi | Category 1 (86 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1932 | Unnamed 1932 stormSep 27 | 5 mi | Category 3 (113 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1931 | Unnamed 1931 stormSep 11 | 26 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1930 | Unnamed 1930 stormSep 2 | 51 mi | Category 3 (115 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormSep 13 | 7 mi | Category 4 (148 mph) | Category 5 |
| 1928 | Unnamed 1928 stormAug 3 | 74 mi | Tropical storm (40 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1926 | Unnamed 1926 stormJul 23 | 35 mi | Category 2 (104 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1919 | Unnamed 1919 stormSep 3 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (49 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormAug 22 | 5 mi | Category 1 (87 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1916 | Unnamed 1916 stormJul 13 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1910 | Unnamed 1910 stormSep 7 | 40 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 2 |
| 1909 | Unnamed 1909 stormAug 22 | 47 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormSep 12 | 24 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1901 | Unnamed 1901 stormJul 7 | 36 mi | Tropical storm (66 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1900 | Unnamed 1900 stormSep 1 | 42 mi | Tropical storm (52 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1899 | Unnamed 1899 stormAug 8 | 2 mi | Category 4 (133 mph) | Category 4 |
| 1898 | Unnamed 1898 stormOct 28 | 50 mi | Tropical storm (58 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1896 | Unnamed 1896 stormSep 1 | 17 mi | Category 2 (98 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1893 | Unnamed 1893 stormAug 17 | 9 mi | Category 2 (109 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1891 | Unnamed 1891 stormAug 20 | 57 mi | Category 2 (105 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1878 | Unnamed 1878 stormNov 28 | 15 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1876 | Unnamed 1876 stormSep 13 | 2 mi | Category 2 (97 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1867 | Unnamed 1867 stormOct 29 | 12 mi | Category 1 (92 mph) | Category 3 |
| 1855 | Unnamed 1855 stormAug 26 | 65 mi | Tropical storm (69 mph) | Tropical storm |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 24 | 73 mi | Category 1 (81 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1852 | Unnamed 1852 stormSep 5 | 14 mi | Category 1 (75 mph) | Category 1 |
| 1851 | Unnamed 1851 stormAug 18 | 54 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 Villalba: 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 Villalba
By decade
- 2010s1
- 2000s1
- 1950s1
| Date | Rating | Distance | Path | Killed / injured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 18, 2016 | EF0 | 21 mi | 0.62 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Aug 25, 2000 | F0 | 13 mi | 1 mi | 0 / 0 |
| Jul 28, 1959 | F0 | 20 mi | 0.2 mi | 0 / 0 |
The strongest 3 of 3, by rating and then by deaths. Ratings before February 2007 are on the original Fujita scale.
Hail in Villalba
The Storm Prediction Center has 17 hail reports within 10 miles of Villalba since 1996, made on 14 separate days. Of these, 3 were 1 inch across or larger, and one reached 2 inches. The largest, 2 inches (hen egg size), fell on May 29, 1997. The most recent report is from May 11, 2017. June has the most reports, 4.
Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather reports, data through 2025.
Weather by month in Villalba
The nearest NOAA station with 1991–2020 climate normals is Ponce 4 E, PR RQ, 8 miles south of Villalba at 70 feet. August is the warmest, with an average high of 92°F and low of 69°F; February is the coolest, at 88°F and 62°F. September is the wettest at 6.9 inches of precipitation on average and January the driest at 0.7 inches; the year adds up to 37.6 inches over 60 days with at least a tenth of an inch. June to November, the hurricane season months, bring 69% of the year's precipitation (25.8 of 37.6 inches); the other six months are drier. September has brought the most of the 54 tropical systems that passed within 75 miles (26); a normal September there has highs of 91°F and 6.9 inches of precipitation. Highs reach 90°F on about 210 days a year. A night below freezing comes less than once a year on average. That 37.6 inches is more than at 0 of the 21 Puerto Rico stations used on this site (0%). Orocovis, 7 miles northeast, has its own station (Palmarejo Vega Baja, PR RQ): 64.5 inches a year, 26.9 more than here, and an August average high of 88°F against 92°F.
Sea level at the San Juan tide gauge, 33 miles from Villalba, 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 | 88 | 63 | 0.7 | 2 |
| Feb | 88 | 62 | 1.2 | 2 |
| Mar | 88 | 63 | 1.9 | 4 |
| Apr | 89 | 65 | 2.3 | 5 |
| May | 90 | 67 | 4.2 | 6 |
| Jun | 91 | 69 | 2.2 | 4 |
| Jul | 92 | 69 | 2.8 | 5 |
| Aug | 92 | 69 | 4.6 | 6 |
| Sep | 91 | 69 | 6.9 | 8 |
| Oct | 91 | 68 | 5.4 | 8 |
| Nov | 90 | 66 | 3.9 | 6 |
| Dec | 88 | 64 | 1.5 | 3 |
| Year | 90 | 66 | 37.6 | 60 |
Averages for 1991–2020 at Ponce 4 E, PR RQ (70 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 Villalba
Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged 108 flood, rain, thunderstorm wind and lightning events that began within 10 miles of Villalba: 54 flash floods, 26 floods, 18 heavy rain events, 6 thunderstorm wind reports and 4 lightning strikes. They killed 3 people and injured 4, and the NWS estimated $2.5 million in property and crop damage. The strongest thunderstorm gust on record here was 46 mph, on May 11, 2017. May has had the most flash floods, 12 of 54. Of the 86 Puerto Rico cities on this site with a flash flood on record, 18 have had fewer than Villalba.
May 28, 2010: flash flood 10 miles from the centre of Villalba — 2 killed, $10,000 damage.
August 30, 2025: lightning strike 1 mile from the centre of Villalba — 1 killed.
NWS: “The 911 Call Center reported that at approximately 3:20 PM AST, a lightning strike impacted two individuals in a boat near the fishing club by the dam at Lago Toa Vaca. One individual was reported conscious with burns to the hands but breathing.”
September 30, 2010: heavy rain event 8 miles from the centre of Villalba — 2 injured.
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 Villalba's ZIP code 00766 have filed 15 claims with the National Flood Insurance Program since 1983, and were paid $52,000 for buildings and contents, in the dollars of each year. 67% 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, 5 have fewer than Villalba.
Villalba Municipio, which includes Villalba, has been named in 34 federal disaster or emergency declarations since 1970, 23 of them major disasters (by incident: 14 hurricanes, 8 floods, 7 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.