Cabo Rojo Municipio, Puerto Rico
Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72023 · population 47,146 · 70 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 120 records for Cabo Rojo Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 90 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (47 records). 64 of them are forecast-zone records, which the National Weather Service files once per zone: a county covered by several zones receives each one, so a single storm can add several records on the same day. The deadliest single record is the September 14, 2004 tropical storm, filed for the forecast zone Southwest, which covers the county: 2 deaths. FEMA has issued 25 declarations naming the county since 1970, 23 of them for natural hazards; the latest for a natural hazard was “Tropical Storm Ernesto” on November 27, 2024.
The record, 1950 to 2026
Storm records filed for the county each year (2026 to June 30, 2026). Before 1996 NOAA recorded only tornadoes (from 1950), thunderstorm wind and hail (from 1955).
- recorded, no damage figure
- under $100,000
- $100,000 or more
- $1 million or more
- $10 million or more, or a death
- $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
- a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
- a year with a death
- 1955: wind and hail recorded from 1955
- 1996: all 48 event types from 1996
- Storm records
- 120on 90 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 40 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $916Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 25latest 2024
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026 (file revision 20260918); damage converted to 2025 dollars with the BLS CPI-U. Search the record at NCEI. BLS consumer price index.
What hazards hit Cabo Rojo Municipio most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 47 since 1996. Census land area gives no figure for Cabo Rojo Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 47 | 30 | 1996-2026 | 0 | 0 | $911M | – |
| Heat | 19 | 19 | 2023-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 10 | 8 | 2000-2024 | 2 | 0 | $77K | – |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 9 | 8 | 2010-2025 | 0 | 0 | $16K | – |
| Wildfires | 8 | 7 | 2005-2014 | 0 | 0 | $302K | – |
| Landslides and avalanches | 6 | 6 | 2003-2024 | 0 | 0 | $10K | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 5 | 5 | 2004-2019 | 0 | 0 | $333K | – |
| Rip currents and high surf | 3 | 3 | 2007-2023 | 2 | 0 | $14K | – |
| Hail | 3 | 3 | 2013-2014 | 0 | 0 | $2K | – |
| Lightning | 3 | 3 | 2024-2024 | 0 | 0 | $6K | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 3 | 3 | 2001-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 2005-2005 | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | – |
| Heavy rain | 2 | 2 | 1997-1997 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database (county and forecast-zone records attributed to the county; a zone record shows its own totals on each county it covers). Days: dates with at least one record of the hazard in the county. Ranks: days with a record per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer), since 1950 for tornadoes, 1955 for hail and thunderstorm wind, 1996 for the rest.
When was the last damaging storm in Cabo Rojo Municipio?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 17, 2026 flood.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-17 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-04-13 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-04-13 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-04-03 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 | |
| 2025-12-02 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $500 | |
| 2025-10-31 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-10-31 | Thunderstorm WindCabo Rojo Municipio | 26 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $4K |
| 2025-10-24 | Thunderstorm WindCabo Rojo Municipio | 39 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $500 |
| 2025-10-07 | Thunderstorm WindCabo Rojo Municipio | 43 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $1K |
| 2025-09-25 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 | |
| 2025-09-25 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database; every record of 2025-2026 is listed, earlier ones when they caused deaths, injuries or $250,000 of damage (2025 dollars), and every tornado.
The deadliest and costliest records
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004-09-14 | Tropical StormCabo Rojo Municipio and 2 more · forecast zone Southwest Tropical Storm Jeanne and its associated weather affected Puerto Rico, Vieques and Culebra from Sep. 14-17. On its wake it left considerable damages to the electric power grid, the water supply system, highways and roads, bridges, schools, individual households, businesses and commerce due to extensive flooding, ... | 2 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-07-04 | Rip CurrentCabo Rojo Municipio and 2 more · forecast zone Southwest A 44-year-old male drowned when he was swept away by rip currents in Balneario Cana Gorda in Guanica. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2015-07-11 | Rip CurrentCabo Rojo Municipio and 2 more · forecast zone Southwest A 53 year old man was carried away by rip currents at 3 Tubos Beach in Joyudas Cabo Rojo. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-03-01 | DroughtCabo Rojo Municipio and 2 more · forecast zone Southwest | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 2011-08-16 | Strong WindCabo Rojo Municipio and 2 more · forecast zone Southwest | 36 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $328K |
| 2025-04-26 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $50K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2025-04-26 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $7K | |
| 2025-10-31 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2025-09-25 | Flash FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2026-04-13 | FloodCabo Rojo Municipio | 0 | 0 | $2K |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database: deaths and injuries direct and indirect; damage is property plus crops as estimated by the National Weather Service, converted to 2025 dollars.
Is it getting more frequent?
Records per decade for Cabo Rojo Municipio's most frequent hazards. Counts rose everywhere after 1996, when NOAA began recording every event type, so compare decades within a hazard's complete period only (the shaded cells come before it).
| Hazard | 1950s | 1960s | 1970s | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020-26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | – | – | – | – | 2 | 10 | 5 | 30 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 0 | 4 | 0 | 6 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
Records by month in Cabo Rojo Municipio. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 2 · Feb 4 · Mar 4 · Apr 8 · May 3 · Jun 17 · Jul 13 · Aug 15 · Sep 24 · Oct 14 · Nov 12 · Dec 4 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Cabo Rojo Municipio
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Cabo Rojo Municipio: 14 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (11) and severe storm (6).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-11-27 | DR-4850 | Tropical Storm | Tropical Storm Ernesto |
| 2024-08-13 | EM-3610 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Ernesto |
| 2022-09-21 | DR-4671 | Hurricane | Hurricane Fiona |
| 2022-09-18 | EM-3583 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Fiona |
| 2020-08-22 | EM-3537 | Hurricane | Tropical Storm Laura |
| 2020-07-29 | EM-3532 | Hurricane | Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine |
| 2020-03-27 | DR-4493 | Biological | Covid-19 Pandemic |
| 2020-03-13 | EM-3452 | Biological | Covid-19 |
| 2020-01-16 | DR-4473 | Earthquake | Earthquakes |
| 2020-01-07 | EM-3426 | Earthquake | Earthquakes |
| 2019-08-27 | EM-3417 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Dorian |
| 2017-09-20 | DR-4339 | Hurricane | Hurricane Maria |
| 2017-09-18 | EM-3391 | Hurricane | Hurricane Maria |
| 2011-08-22 | EM-3326 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2008-10-01 | DR-1798 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2004-09-17 | DR-1552 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Jeanne and Resulting Landslides and Mudslides |
| 2003-11-21 | DR-1501 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides |
| 2001-05-16 | DR-1372 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding and Mudslides |
| 1999-11-17 | EM-3151 | Hurricane | Hurricane Lenny |
| 1998-09-24 | DR-1247 | Hurricane | Hurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98 |
| 1996-09-11 | DR-1136 | Hurricane | Hurricane Hortense |
| 1979-09-02 | DR-597 | Hurricane | Hurricane David |
| 1975-09-19 | DR-483 | Flood | Tropical Storm Elioise |
| 1974-08-29 | EM-3002 | Drought | Impact of Drought |
| 1970-10-12 | DR-296 | Flood | Heavy Rains & Flooding |
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA Disaster Declarations Summaries (v2), declarations through October 2, 2026; one declaration is counted once however many areas it names. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Counties that share a border with Cabo Rojo Municipio
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Floods in Puerto RicoThe state's floods and flash floods, by county, year and month
- The Puerto Rico recordEvery hazard in the state, its deadliest events and its federal declarations
- FEMA's risk rating for each hazard in Cabo Rojo MunicipioThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Cabo Rojo Municipio's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis