Vieques Municipio, Puerto Rico
Municipio storm and disaster record · FIPS 72147 · population 8,188 · 51 sq mi
NOAA's Storm Events Database holds 31 records for Vieques Municipio, Puerto Rico from 1950 through June 30, 2026, on 29 days; the most frequent are hurricane and tropical storm records (10 records). The deadliest single record is the March 18, 2026 rip current, filed for the forecast zone Vieques, which covers the county: 1 death and 1 injury. FEMA has issued 28 declarations naming the county since 1970, 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
- 31on 29 days, 1950 to June 30, 2026
- Deaths recorded
- 41 injuries
- Damage, 2025 dollars
- $549Mas 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 Vieques Municipio most?
The most frequent records are hurricane and tropical storm records: 10 since 1998. Census land area gives no figure for Vieques Municipio under this code, so it carries no per-area rank.
| Hazard | Records | Days | First, last | Killed | Injured | Damage | Rank in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | 10 | 9 | 1998-2021 | 0 | 0 | $544M | – |
| Floods | 5 | 4 | 1999-2019 | 0 | 0 | $4.8M | – |
| Fog, smoke and funnel clouds | 5 | 5 | 2001-2004 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Rip currents and high surf | 4 | 4 | 2009-2026 | 4 | 1 | – | – |
| Heat | 2 | 2 | 2023-2024 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| High wind and dust storms | 2 | 2 | 1998-2000 | 0 | 0 | $14K | – |
| Drought | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Extreme cold | 1 | 1 | 2000-2000 | 0 | 0 | – | – |
| Severe thunderstorm wind | 1 | 1 | 2024-2024 | 0 | 0 | $3K | – |
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 Vieques Municipio?
The most recent record with damage, injuries or deaths is the March 18, 2026 rip current (1 death and 1 injury).
Emergency management officials reported a fatality associated with rip currents in Punta Arenas Beach, Vieques.
National Weather Service event narrative, NOAA Storm Events Database (search the full record, event 1326577)
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-18 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-07-25 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-01-24 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-12-27 | High SurfVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2003-11-10 | FloodVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 0 | 0 | $4.8M | |
| 1999-11-16 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Vieques Municipio · forecast zone Arecibo | 0 | 0 | $27M | |
| 1998-09-21 | Hurricane (Typhoon)Vieques Municipio · forecast zone Arecibo | 0 | 0 | $518M |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-18 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques Emergency management officials reported a fatality associated with rip currents in Punta Arenas Beach, Vieques. | 1 | 1 | – | |
| 2022-07-25 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques A 61-year-old male, a tourist from Colombia, drowned At Playa Punta Arenas in Vieques. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2020-01-24 | Rip CurrentVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques A male tourist from NY died on Cayo Tierra Beach in Vieques. | 1 | 0 | – | |
| 2009-12-27 | High SurfVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques High surf generated strong currents which overtook a swimmer at Barrio Puerto Real, Esperanza Beach in Vieques. | 1 | 0 | – |
| Date | Record | Character | Killed | Injured | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-11-10 | FloodVieques Municipio · forecast zone Vieques | 0 | 0 | $4.8M |
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 Vieques 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hurricanes and tropical storms | – | – | – | – | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
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 Vieques Municipio. The two busiest months are in violet.
The values, month by month
Jan 3 · Feb 2 · Mar 4 · Apr 0 · May 1 · Jun 0 · Jul 6 · Aug 5 · Sep 5 · Oct 2 · Nov 2 · Dec 1 (records).
Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began.
Federal disaster declarations for Vieques Municipio
FEMA's register lists 28 declarations that include Vieques Municipio: 16 major disasters, 12 emergencies and 0 fire management assistance declarations. Most were for hurricane (15) and severe storm (4).
| 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 |
| 2020-01-07 | 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 |
| 2017-09-05 | EM-3384 | 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 |
| 1974-11-30 | DR-455 | Flood | Flooding |
| 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 Vieques Municipio
Source: U.S. Census Bureau county adjacency file; NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1950. The Census Bureau's adjacency file.
Next
- Hurricanes and tropical storms in Puerto RicoThe state's hurricane and tropical storm 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 Vieques MunicipioThe hazard risk calculator: 18 hazards beside the county's record
- Download Vieques Municipio's FEMA declarations (CSV)28 rows: every declaration that named the county, for your own analysis