PlainHazard

Puerto Rico heat

Every recorded heat record since 1996 · 61 counties with a record

NOAA's Storm Events Database records 184 heat records in Puerto Rico from 1996 through June 30, 2026, about 92 a year since 2000. Puerto Rico ranks 38th of 51 states and territories by count and 10th of 50 per square mile.

Heat in Puerto Rico, 1996 to 2026

Heat records per year (NOAA Storm Events); 2026 to June 30, 2026.

  • recorded, no damage figure
  • under $1 million
  • $1 million or more
  • $10 million or more
  • $100 million or more, or 10 deaths
  • $1 billion or more, or 100 deaths
  • a year's colour: its recorded damage or deaths
  • a year with a death
Records
1841996 to June 30, 2026
A year since 2000
92average
Deaths
00 injuries
Damage, 2025 dollars
–as filed
Busiest year
2024158 records

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; deaths and damage as filed, damage in 2025 dollars. Search the record at NCEI.

Are heat records common in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico averages about 92 heat records a year since 2000, 38th of 51 states and territories by count. The busiest year on record was 2024 (158). Per 10,000 square miles of land, Puerto Rico records 537 heat records since 1996, 10th of 50 states and territories by that measure.

  1. 1. New Jersey 2320
  2. 2. Delaware 1555
  3. 3. Maryland 1330
  4. 4. Oklahoma 685
  5. 5. Illinois 590
  6. 6. Mississippi 584
  7. 7. Louisiana 576
  8. 8. Missouri 547
  9. 9. Tennessee 540
  10. 10. Puerto Rico 537

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records since 1996, per 10,000 square miles of land area (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer; places under 1,000 square miles not ranked). Damage colours: Storm Events damage, 2025 dollars.

Which counties in Puerto Rico have the most heat records?

Per square mile, Arecibo Municipio leads Puerto Rico: 31 days with a heat record since 1996, 246.0 per 1,000 square miles of land. By raw count, Arecibo Municipio has the most heat records (31 since 1996); large counties collect more records simply by covering more ground, so the ranking counts days with a record per unit of area (a storm filed for several forecast zones adds several records but one day).

  1. Arecibo Municipio 246.0 (31)
  2. Ponce Municipio 156.6 (18)

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, days with a record in the county since 1996 per 1,000 square miles of land (Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer); in brackets, the count of records.

When is the heat season in Puerto Rico?

53% of its heat records since 1996 fell in June and July. The busiest month is June (77 records).

The values, month by month

Jan 0 · Feb 0 · Mar 0 · Apr 0 · May 14 · Jun 77 · Jul 20 · Aug 2 · Sep 52 · Oct 19 · Nov 0 · Dec 0 (records).

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records by the month they began, since 1996.

Are heat records becoming more frequent in Puerto Rico?

Puerto Rico's count per decade against the whole country's, and its share. NOAA recorded every event type only from 1996, so earlier decades are not comparable; the share of the national total is the fairer comparison across decades.

Heat: Puerto Rico and the United States by decade (2020s to June 30, 2026)
DecadePuerto RicoUnited StatesPuerto Rico's share
1996-9904,3550
2000s09,1630
2010s016,4450
2020-2618426,7960.69%

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database.

The most recent heat records in Puerto Rico

The 0 most recent records, to June 30, 2026
DateRecordCharacterKilledInjuredDamage

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, records through June 30, 2026; the newest months are revised by NCEI as reports arrive. Search the record at NCEI.

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