Santa Isabel Municipio, Puerto Rico
Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72133 · population 20,269 · 34 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 98 records for Santa Isabel Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 79 days; the most frequent are floods and flash floods (24 records). 86 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 April 13, 2022 rip current, filed for the forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity, which covers the county: 1 death. FEMA has issued 31 declarations naming the county since 1970, 29 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
- 98on 79 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 20 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $13Mas filed (scale steps before 1993)
- FEMA declarations
- 31latest 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 Santa Isabel Municipio most?
The most frequent records are floods and flash floods: 24 since 2003. 50% of its floods and flash floods since 2003 fell in October and November. Census land area gives no figure for Santa Isabel Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Floods | 24 | 18 | 2003-2024 | 0 | 0 | $6.4M | – |
| Heat | 18 | 18 | 2023-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Landslides and avalanches | 18 | 15 | 2003-2019 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Wildfires | 10 | 7 | 2005-2014 | 0 | 0 | $519K | – |
| Rip currents and high surf | 8 | 6 | 2004-2022 | 2 | 0 | $17K | – |
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 7 | 7 | 1997-2024 | 0 | 0 | $4.6M | – |
| Drought | 6 | 6 | 1997-2022 | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 4 | 4 | 2001-2023 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 2 | 2009-2026 | 0 | 0 | $400 | – |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 1 | 2024-2024 | 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 Santa Isabel Municipio?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the January 21, 2026 strong wind.
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-01-21 | Strong WindGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 30 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $400 |
| 2022-04-13 | Rip CurrentGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-07-04 | Rip CurrentGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2005-03-01 | DroughtGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | $1.5M | |
| 2005-02-01 | WildfireGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | $302K | |
| 2003-11-10 | FloodGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | $6.4M | |
| 2001-08-22 | Tropical StormGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | $4.5M |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-04-13 | Rip CurrentGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity A female was found drown at Clavellina Beach in Santa Isabel. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2014-07-04 | Rip CurrentGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity Police officials were alert a boy was drowned in sector La Poza at El Tuque in the municipality of Ponce due to Rip Currents. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001-08-22 | Tropical StormGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 0 | 0 | $4.5M | |
| 2026-01-21 | Strong WindGuayanilla Municipio and 5 more · forecast zone Ponce And Vicinity | 30 kt wind | 0 | 0 | $400 |
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 Santa Isabel 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 | 14 | 2 | 8 |
| Heat | – | – | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 |
| Landslides and avalanches | – | – | – | – | 0 | 9 | 9 | 0 |
| Wildfires | – | – | – | – | 0 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
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 2003 fell in October and November. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 4 · Feb 3 · Mar 4 · Apr 2 · May 7 · Jun 12 · Jul 10 · Aug 14 · Sep 19 · Oct 13 · Nov 9 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Santa Isabel Municipio
FEMA's register lists 31 declarations that include Santa Isabel Municipio: 20 major disasters, 11 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (12) and flood (7).
| 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 |
| 2011-08-27 | DR-4017 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2011-08-22 | EM-3326 | Hurricane | Hurricane Irene |
| 2008-10-01 | DR-1798 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms and Flooding |
| 2005-11-10 | DR-1613 | Severe Storm | Severe Storms, Flooding, Landslides, and Mudslides |
| 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 |
| 1996-09-11 | DR-1136 | Hurricane | Hurricane Hortense |
| 1992-01-22 | DR-931 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1987-12-17 | DR-805 | Flood | Severe Storms & Flooding |
| 1986-07-10 | DR-768 | Flood | Heavy Rains, Flooding & Mudslides |
| 1985-10-10 | DR-746 | Flood | Severe Storms, Flooding & Mudslides |
| 1985-05-31 | DR-736 | Flood | Storms, Mud/Land Slides, 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.
Counties that share a border with Santa Isabel 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 Santa Isabel MunicipioThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Santa Isabel Municipio's FEMA declarations (CSV)31 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis