San Sebastián Municipio, Puerto Rico
Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72131 · population 39,316 · 70 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 184 records for San Sebastián Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 112 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (72 records). The deadliest single record is the May 8, 2024 flash flood: 1 death and 2 injuries. FEMA has issued 26 declarations naming the county since 1970, 24 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
- 184on 112 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 33 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $23Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 26latest 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 San Sebastián Municipio most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 72 since 2002. 50% of its floods and flash floods since 2002 fell in April and May. Census land area gives no figure for San Sebastián Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 72 | 40 | 2002-2026 | 3 | 2 | $22M | – |
| Landslides and avalanches | 70 | 46 | 2003-2026 | 0 | 0 | $45K | – |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 11 | 11 | 2009-2026 | 0 | 1 | $55K | – |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 8 | 6 | 2000-2015 | 0 | 0 | $72K | – |
| Heavy rain | 7 | 7 | 2009-2021 | 0 | 0 | $1K | – |
| Wildfires | 5 | 5 | 2005-2014 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2001-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Drought | 2 | 2 | 2023-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Hail | 2 | 2 | 2012-2021 | 0 | 0 | $2K | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 2 | 2006-2026 | 0 | 0 | $11K | – |
| Lightning | 1 | 1 | 2020-2020 | 0 | 0 | $1K | – |
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 San Sebastián Municipio?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the April 17, 2026 flood ($1,000 in damage in 2025 dollars).
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-04-17 | FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-04-17 | FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Debris FlowSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $2K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $10K | |
| 2026-04-13 | Debris FlowSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $1K | |
| 2026-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-02-02 | Strong WindAdjuntas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Western Interior | 30 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2025-11-18 | Debris FlowSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 | |
| 2025-11-18 | FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $400 | |
| 2025-11-18 | FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-05-08 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio A person was swept away as Cascada Gozalandia, while other two were trapped by increasing water levels in Rio Guatemala. The body of the person was found and recovered two days later, when the water levels finally receded. | 1 | 2 | – | |
| 2018-04-12 | FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio A 56 year old man was dragged by a surge of water on the Guatemala river. PREMA search and rescue team found the body down river. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2017-04-11 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio Two minors were swept away by flood waters of Rio Saltillos in Barrio Eneas in San Sebastian. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2016-08-27 | Thunderstorm WindSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio Due to winds associated with a passing thunderstorm, a fallen tree was reported at Barrio Juncal in San Sebastian. This tree fel on a cargo truck. The driver had minor injuries. No other wind damage was reported across this area. | 35 kt wind | 0 | 1 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005-10-09 | FloodAdjuntas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Western Interior | 0 | 0 | $15M | |
| 2003-11-10 | FloodAdjuntas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Western Interior | 0 | 0 | $6.4M | |
| 2005-02-20 | WildfireAdjuntas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Western Interior | 0 | 0 | $1.2M | |
| 2026-03-26 | Thunderstorm WindSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 35 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $20K |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $5K | |
| 2026-04-17 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $4K | |
| 2026-02-02 | Strong WindAdjuntas Municipio and 6 more · forecast zone Western Interior | 30 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $3K |
| 2025-05-11 | Flash FloodSan Sebastian, San Sebastián Municipio | 0 | 0 | $3K |
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 San Sebastián 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 | – | – | – | – | 0 | 11 | 30 | 31 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 0 | 36 | 20 | 14 |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records per calendar decade; zone records from the CZ_TYPE field (Z).
What time of year?
50% of its floods and flash floods since 2002 fell in April and May. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 1 · Feb 3 · Mar 5 · Apr 24 · May 48 · Jun 7 · Jul 11 · Aug 27 · Sep 19 · Oct 10 · Nov 25 · Dec 4 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for San Sebastián Municipio
FEMA's register lists 26 declarations that include San Sebastián Municipio: 16 major disasters, 10 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (11) and flood (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 |
| 2024-07-23 | DR-4805 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 2011-07-14 | DR-4004 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Mudslides, and Landslides |
| 2004-09-17 | DR-1552 | Severe Storm | Tropical Storm Jeanne and Resulting Landslides 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 |
| 1986-07-10 | DR-768 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Flooding & Mudslides |
| 1985-10-10 | DR-746 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides |
| 1979-09-02 | DR-597 | Hurricane | Hurricane David |
| 1975-09-19 | DR-483 | Flood | Tropical Storm Elioise |
| 1974-11-30 | DR-455 | Flood | Flooding |
| 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 San Sebastián 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 San Sebastián MunicipioThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download San Sebastián Municipio's FEMA declarations (CSV)26 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis