Canóvanas Municipio, Puerto Rico

Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72029 · population 42,309 · 33 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 190 records for Canóvanas Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 145 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (70 records). 139 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 day on its record was March 16, 2023: rip current records filed for Canóvanas Municipio that day count 3 deaths across 2 records. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1974, 26 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
190on 145 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
3929 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$911Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
FEMA declarations
28latest 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 Canóvanas Municipio most?

The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 70 since 1997. Census land area gives no figure for Canóvanas Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.

Canóvanas Municipio: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Floods 70 48 1997-2026 0 0 $910M –
Rip currents and high surf 41 39 2008-2026 39 29 $38K –
Heavy rain 18 16 1996-2021 0 0 $7K –
Landslides and avalanches 17 15 2003-2024 0 0 $4K –
Hurricanes and tropical storms 16 11 1997-2024 0 0 $411K –
Heat 8 8 2023-2024 0 0 – –
Severe thunderstorm wind 6 5 1997-2024 0 0 $223K –
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 5 5 2001-2004 0 0 – –
Hail 3 3 1996-1997 0 0 – –
High wind and dust storms 3 3 2003-2026 0 0 $30K –
Drought 2 2 1997-2022 0 0 – –
Wildfires 1 1 2007-2007 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 Canóvanas Municipio?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 10, 2026 rip current (1 death).

The 911 Call Center and media reported that a female tourist was swept away by rip currents at Playa Azul in Luquillo. She was rescued from the water by emergency personnel and transported to a local hospital, where she was declared deceased.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1331487)
The 12 most recent records kept for Canóvanas Municipio
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-04-10 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 1 0 –
2026-03-09 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 1 3 –
2026-02-28 Strong WindCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 24 kt wind 0 0 $6K
2026-02-10 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $83K
2025-10-19 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $2K
2025-10-04 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $1K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $1K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $1K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $4K
2025-08-24 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 1 0 –
2025-02-23 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 1 3 –
2025-01-11 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $1K

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

Records with deaths or injuries in Canóvanas Municipio, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2023-03-16 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Northeast Two men were swept by rip currents while trying to rescue a father and his son who were asking for help because they could not return to shore. 2 4 –
2020-09-18 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Northeast Two bodies (a male and a female) were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard in La Pocita, Piones area in Loiza County. 2 0 –
2024-03-06 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast A family of seven was swept away by rip currents in Playa Escondida, Fajardo. The father was able to save all his children and wife, but he drowned, and his body was recovered two days later in the area. 1 7 –
2026-03-09 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast Three people were swept away by rip currents along the coast of Luquillo, just behind the La Parrilla establishment. All three individuals were rescued from the water. Two survived the incident, while one person was transported to a hospital in Fajardo, where the individual was later pronounced dead due to drowning. 1 3 –
2025-02-23 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast A 62-year-old man drowned while trying to rescue a female with two of his friends in Vacia Talega Beach. 1 3 –
2023-12-09 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Northeast On December 9th, Emergency Managers in Fajardo, PR, reported that four people were swept away by strong rip currents at Playa Escondida, Fajardo. Emergency Managers successfully rescued three out of the four individuals, but unfortunately, a young 25-year-old adult from San Lorenzo, Puerto Rico, drowned. The body was ... 1 3 –
2024-03-27 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast A rescue operation began on March 28 for a 26-year-old tourist, an active duty U.S. marine, and a resident of Massachusetts who was swept away by rip currents on La Pared beach in Luquillo on March 27. The Coast Guard rescue crews suspended search efforts on April 1 in support of local emergency response agencies. He ... 1 1 –
2024-03-13 Rip CurrentCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast A rip current swept away a 52-year-old male tourist from Minnesota at La Pared Beach in Luquillo on March 13th. The person was rescued and taken to the Caribbean Medical Center in critical condition, where he died. 1 1 –
The costliest records in Canóvanas Municipio since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2001-08-22 Tropical StormCanóvanas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $333K
2026-02-10 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $83K
2025-01-11 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $7K
2026-02-28 Strong WindCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 24 kt wind 0 0 $6K
2025-01-11 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $5K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $4K
2025-10-19 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $2K
2025-10-04 Coastal FloodCanóvanas Municipio and 7 more · forecast zone Northeast 0 0 $1K

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 Canóvanas 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).

Canóvanas Municipio: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Floods––––3261031
Rip currents and high surf––––01832 z
Heavy rain––––11151
Landslides and avalanches––––0962
Hurricanes and tropical storms––––1456

Rip currents and high surf in the 2020-26: 32 records against 8 in the decade before, 32 of them forecast-zone records. Cells marked z rose mostly through zone records. The local National Weather Service office files these once per forecast zone, so a change in how it draws its zones or splits a storm into records moves this count as much as the weather does; read it beside the Canóvanas Municipio days with a record above.

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 Canóvanas Municipio. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 15 · Feb 4 · Mar 29 · Apr 16 · May 19 · Jun 15 · Jul 12 · Aug 30 · Sep 17 · Oct 19 · Nov 6 · Dec 8 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.

Federal disaster declarations for Canóvanas Municipio

FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Canóvanas Municipio: 17 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (15) and severe storm (4).

Declarations including Canóvanas Municipio, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
2024-11-27DR-4850Tropical StormTropical Storm Ernesto
2024-08-13EM-3610Severe StormTropical Storm Ernesto
2022-09-21DR-4671HurricaneHurricane Fiona
2022-09-18EM-3583HurricaneTropical Storm Fiona
2020-08-22EM-3537HurricaneTropical Storm Laura
2020-07-29EM-3532HurricanePotential Tropical Cyclone Nine
2020-03-27DR-4493BiologicalCovid-19 Pandemic
2020-03-13EM-3452BiologicalCovid-19
2020-01-07EM-3426EarthquakeEarthquakes
2019-08-27EM-3417Severe StormTropical Storm Dorian
2017-09-20DR-4339HurricaneHurricane Maria
2017-09-18EM-3391HurricaneHurricane Maria
2017-09-10DR-4336HurricaneHurricane Irma
2011-08-27DR-4017HurricaneHurricane Irene
2011-08-22EM-3326HurricaneHurricane Irene
2004-09-17DR-1552Severe StormTropical Storm Jeanne and Resulting Landslides and Mudslides
2003-11-21DR-1501Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides
1999-11-17EM-3151HurricaneHurricane Lenny
1998-09-24DR-1247HurricaneHurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98
1996-09-11DR-1136HurricaneHurricane Hortense
1995-09-16DR-1068HurricaneHurricane Marilyn
1992-01-22DR-931FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1989-09-21DR-842HurricaneHurricane Hugo
1987-12-17DR-805FloodSevere Storms & Flooding
1979-09-02DR-597HurricaneHurricane David
1975-09-19DR-483FloodTropical Storm Elioise
1974-11-30DR-455FloodFlooding
1974-08-29EM-3002DroughtImpact of Drought

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 Canóvanas Municipio

  1. Carolina Municipio 308
  2. Río Grande Municipio 194
  3. Canóvanas Municipio 190
  4. Las Piedras Municipio 169
  5. Gurabo Municipio 145
  6. Juncos Municipio 142
  7. Loíza Municipio 43

Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.

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