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San Juan, PR

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Record Rainfall Associated with Hurricane Earl

          With the passage of Hurricane Earl to the northeast of the local Islands on August 30-31, 2010, record rainfall was recorded at several weather stations across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. For the 24 hour period ending at midnight AST on August 30, new rainfall records were established at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, at the Christiansted Airport on Saint Croix and at the Cyril E. King Airport on Saint Thomas.

 

Station - August 30, 2010	New Record	Old Record	Year
San Juan, PR	3.52 inches	3.22 inches	2002
Saint Thomas, USVI	3.02 inches	2.99 inches	1974
Saint Croix, USVI	1.91 inches	1.39 inches	1974

 

          This record rainfall helped contribute to another wet month across the San Juan metropolitan area. As of September 1, 2010, San Juan continues to be on track to break its all time annual precipitation record of 77.28 inches recorded in 2005. Through August 31, 2010, San Juan had received 57.36 inches of rainfall, nearly 7 inches more than on the same date in 2005 and exactly 28 inches above the normal 29.36 inches which accumulates at the Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport in San Juan by this date. (The average annual precipitation in San Juan is 50.76 inches, which was surpassed on August 12, 2010).

 

 

(Accumulative precipitation in San Juan, PR since January 1, 2010)

 

          This unusually wet weather has not been limited to San Juan. According to the latest cooperative weather data from over 50 stations across Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico as a whole has recorded approximately 140% of its normal precipitation in 2010, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have recorded approximately 171% of their normal precipitation. In addition, temperatures have been significantly above normal in 2010, with August 2010 marking the 15th straight month in a row with above normal temperatures recorded in San Juan (see plot below).

 

(Average temperatures in San Juan, PR since January 1, 2009)

 

          Thanks to a recent local study on ENSO and its effects across the local islands, this string of warm temperatures as well as the record wet start to 2010, were both likely influenced by the strong El Niño which was observed between June 2009 and April 2010. With a La Niña Advisory now in effect, recent research suggests temperatures will likely return to near normal values (or even slightly below normal values) with continued above normal precipitation expected over the coming months.

 

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