Culebra Municipio, Puerto Rico
Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72049 · population 1,660 · 12 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 33 records for Culebra Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 32 days; the most frequent are rip current and surf records (7 records). The deadliest single record is the March 19, 2025 rip current, filed for the forecast zone Culebra, which covers the county: 1 death and 1 injury. 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 August 13, 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
- 33on 32 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 75 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $662Kas 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 Culebra Municipio most?
The most frequent records are rip current and surf records: 7 since 2021. Census land area gives no figure for Culebra Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rip currents and high surf | 7 | 7 | 2021-2025 | 7 | 5 | – | – |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 7 | 2000-2021 | 0 | 0 | $43K | – |
| Heat | 6 | 6 | 2023-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 6 | 6 | 2001-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Floods | 4 | 3 | 2003-2023 | 0 | 0 | $608K | – |
| Heavy rain | 1 | 1 | 2009-2009 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 1 | 1 | 2025-2025 | 0 | 0 | $2K | – |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | $10K | – |
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 Culebra Municipio?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 25, 2025 strong wind ($1,500 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-25 | Strong WindCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 25 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $2K |
| 2025-03-19 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-12-18 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-11-20 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2023-02-19 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2022-05-04 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-02-21 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-12-28 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2017-09-06 | Flash FloodCulebra Municipio | 0 | 0 | $602K |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-19 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 67-year-old tourist from Michigan died the morning of March 19 at Flamenco Beach in Culebra, Puerto Rico, after being swept away by rip currents. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2023-11-20 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 42-year old male drowned after being swept away by rip currents at Playa Flamenco in Culebra. Another person was rescued when was also swept away by these rip currents. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-05-04 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 911 call alerted the police about a floating person in Flamenco Beach. The person was taken into an ambulance to a hospital, where the doctor confirmed the death by drowning. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-02-21 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 40-year-old tourist drowned in Flamenco Beach on the island of Culebra. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2021-12-28 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 62-yeard-old tourist drowned while practicing snorkeling in Flamenco Beach, Culebra on the 28th of December in the afternoon. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2024-12-18 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 68-year-old man from Connecticut, a resident of Culebra, was last seen being dragged by a rip current at Flamenco Beach, Culebra. His body was found after two days. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2023-02-19 | Rip CurrentCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra A 70-year-old male was swept away by rip currents at Flamenco Beach in Culebra. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025-03-25 | Strong WindCulebra Municipio · forecast zone Culebra | 25 kt wind | 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.
What time of year?
Records by month in Culebra Municipio. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 2 · Mar 4 · Apr 0 · May 1 · Jun 3 · Jul 4 · Aug 5 · Sep 4 · Oct 4 · Nov 3 · Dec 2 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Culebra Municipio
FEMA's register lists 25 declarations that include Culebra Municipio: 14 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (14) and severe storm (4).
| Declared | Number | Type | Title |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 2020-01-07 | 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 |
| 2017-09-10 | DR-4336 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irma |
| 2011-08-27 | DR-4017 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-22 | EM-3326 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 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 |
| 1999-11-17 | EM-3151 | Hurricane | Hurricane Lenny |
| 1998-09-24 | DR-1247 | Hurricane | Hurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98 |
| 1995-09-16 | DR-1068 | Hurricane | Hurricane Marilyn |
| 1989-09-21 | DR-842 | Hurricane | Hurricane Hugo |
| 1987-12-17 | DR-805 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 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.
How many floods has Culebra Municipio had?
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 4 flood or flash flood records for Culebra Municipio from 2003 to 2023, on 3 days, with 0 deaths. By flood insurance claims since 1978 (OpenFEMA, as of September 8, 2026), Culebra Municipio ranks 2756th of 2,942 U.S. counties.
| Storm | Began | Records | Deaths in the county |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricane Irma | 2017-09-06 | 1 | 0 |
The National Flood Insurance Program has paid $37,000 on 2 claims filed in Culebra Municipio; the most in one year was 1 in 1998. Claims count insured losses only: uninsured flood damage is not in this file.
The values, year by year
1998: 1 · 2017: 1; the other years: 0.
Source: FEMA OpenFEMA NFIP Redacted Claims, as of September 8, 2026; claims by year of loss, payments in the dollars of the year paid. OpenFEMA dataset page.
Counties that share a border with Culebra Municipio
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Rip currents and high surf in Puerto RicoThe state's rip current and surf records, 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 Culebra MunicipioThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Culebra Municipio's FEMA declarations (CSV)25 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis