Hatillo Municipio, Puerto Rico

Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72065 · population 38,444 · 42 sq mi

NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 145 records for Hatillo Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 128 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (49 records). 115 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 March 27, 2024 rip current, filed for the forecast zone Northwest, which covers the county: 1 death and 3 injuries. FEMA has issued 21 declarations naming the county since 1975, 19 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
145on 128 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
Deaths recorded
2811 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
$11Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
FEMA declarations
21latest 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 Hatillo Municipio most?

The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 49 since 2002. Census land area gives no figure for Hatillo Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.

Hatillo Municipio: records by hazard, 1950 to June 30, 2026
HazardRecordsDaysFirst, lastKilledInjuredDamageRank in state
Floods 49 38 2002-2026 0 0 $9.2M –
Rip currents and high surf 34 34 2006-2025 28 11 $1.1M –
Heat 31 31 2023-2024 0 0 – –
Hurricanes and tropical storms 6 5 2000-2024 0 0 $70K –
Landslides and avalanches 6 6 2003-2008 0 0 $4K –
Severe thunderstorm wind 4 4 2011-2025 0 0 $14K –
Drought 3 3 2023-2023 0 0 – –
High wind and dust storms 3 3 2005-2018 0 0 $10K –
Lightning 3 3 2013-2025 0 0 $4K –
Heavy rain 2 2 2017-2017 0 0 – –
Fog, smoke and funnel clouds 2 2 2001-2003 0 0 – –
Wildfires 2 2 2011-2023 0 0 $504K –

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 Hatillo Municipio?

The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the February 2, 2026 coastal flood ($15,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).

The 12 most recent records kept for Hatillo Municipio
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2026-02-02 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $15K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $1K
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 –
2025-10-03 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $1K
2025-08-17 High SurfAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 –
2025-08-09 Thunderstorm WindHatillo Municipio 35 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2025-07-17 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 1 0 –
2025-05-20 FloodHatillo Municipio 0 0 $500
2025-05-20 FloodHatillo Municipio 0 0 $20K
2025-05-20 LightningHatillo Municipio 0 0 $2K
2025-01-18 FloodHatillo Municipio 0 0 $1K
2025-01-11 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 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 Hatillo Municipio, most deaths first
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2024-03-27 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A 40-year-old male tourist and his two daughters were swept away by rip currents at Montones Beach in Isabela. The man managed to rescue the girls but was also dragged and unable to get out of the water. Paramedics from State Medical Emergencies provided first aid and confirmed that the individual no longer had vital ... 1 3 –
2023-01-18 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A man drowned on Jobos Beach in Isabela around 3:30 pm after being swept away by rip currents. Another man who was injured in the incident was transported to a hospital. 1 2 –
2021-10-09 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A 51 year old male was swept away by a rip current, along with his daughter and son in-law in Golondrinas Beach in Isabela. The 51 year old male drowned and the other two were rescued. 1 2 –
2024-05-19 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A tourist drowned at Shacks Beach in Isabela after being swept away by rip currents while snorkeling. 1 1 –
2024-05-14 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A tourist drowned on Jobos Beach. 1 1 –
2024-02-13 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest A man was found floating on the waters near Playa Montones in Isabela. The individual was found dead. 1 1 –
2009-12-27 High SurfAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest One person drowned in rough surf while trying to rescue his 11 year old son from the rough surf. 1 1 –
2025-07-17 Rip CurrentAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest Broadcast media reported that a man drowned after being swept away by rip currents in Playa Jobos (Jobos Beach) in Isabela. 1 0 –
The costliest records in Hatillo Municipio since 1993, damage in 2025 dollars
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage
2017-02-04 Flash FloodHatillo Municipio 0 0 $1.2M
2008-03-19 High SurfAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $1.1M
2023-03-31 WildfireAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $504K
2025-05-20 FloodHatillo Municipio 0 0 $20K
2026-02-02 Coastal FloodAguadilla Municipio and 4 more · forecast zone Northwest 0 0 $15K
2025-08-09 Thunderstorm WindHatillo Municipio 35 kt wind 0 0 $2K
2025-05-20 LightningHatillo Municipio 0 0 $2K
2025-01-18 FloodHatillo Municipio 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 Hatillo 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).

Hatillo Municipio: records per decade (the 2020s to June 30, 2026)
Hazard1950s1960s1970s1980s1990s2000s2010s2020-26
Floods––––0171715
Rip currents and high surf––––031318
Heat––––00031

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 Hatillo Municipio. The two busiest months are in violet.

The values, month by month

Jan 11 · Feb 10 · Mar 13 · Apr 5 · May 22 · Jun 15 · Jul 13 · Aug 11 · Sep 18 · Oct 10 · Nov 13 · Dec 4 (records).

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

Federal disaster declarations for Hatillo Municipio

FEMA's register lists 21 declarations that include Hatillo Municipio: 11 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (12) and severe storm (4).

Declarations including Hatillo Municipio, newest first
DeclaredNumberTypeTitle
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
2011-08-22EM-3326HurricaneHurricane Irene
2011-07-14DR-4004Severe StormSevere Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides
2004-09-17DR-1552Severe StormTropical Storm Jeanne and Resulting Landslides and Mudslides
1999-11-17EM-3151HurricaneHurricane Lenny
1998-09-24DR-1247HurricaneHurricane Georges - 18 Sep 98
1996-09-11DR-1136HurricaneHurricane Hortense
1989-09-21DR-842HurricaneHurricane Hugo
1986-07-10DR-768FloodHeavy Rains, Flooding & Mudslides
1975-09-19DR-483FloodTropical Storm Elioise

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 Hatillo Municipio

  1. Arecibo Municipio 317
  2. Utuado Municipio 170
  3. Hatillo Municipio 145
  4. Camuy Municipio 143
  5. Lares Municipio 112

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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