Puerto Rico: Rare Tornado Wreaks Havoc Across the City of Arecibo

A rare tornado rocked residents across the city of Arecibo, Puerto Rico, on Sunday, May 1.

Although there were no reported casualties, the twister caused a number of flying debris and downed trees based on social media posts of residents in the city.

The tornadic event was also a stark reminder that the island is vulnerable to such phenomena after several years of no incidents.

Tornado Touchdown

The tornado reportedly touched down over the Avenida Industrial buildings in Arecibo at approximately 3:00 p.m. AST (local time) on Sunday, reaching one-third of a mile and several minutes before dissipating, as cited by Fox Weather news.

In the short-lived duration, the swirling vortex caused major damage to a warehouse and swept a building's roof in the said area.

The twister knocked out multiple power lines, which reportedly left at least 300 customers without power as of the morning of Monday, May 2, as per PowerOutage.us.

The National Weather Service (NWS) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, reportedly categorized the tornado with a preliminary rating of an EF1 under the Enhanced Fujita Scale.

The EF Scale is a measurement used to determine the intensity of tornadoes due to the wind strength, with F1 being the weakest and F5 being the strongest.

Tornado Incidents in Puerto Rico

Since 1950, there are only 21 confirmed cases of tornadoes across Puerto Rico, affecting 16 counties and causing property damage but with no fatalities or injuries, according to the storm events database of the NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI).

Sunday's tornado only occurred after three years since a related tornadic event transpired in Puerto Rico in September 2019.

Furthermore, the recent EF-1 tornado was also the first since an F1 tornado struck the island in August 1974, causing property damage worth $250,000, as per the NOAA - NCEI storm database.

Tornadoes before 2019 were only classified as relatively weak, ranging between EF-0 or F0.

Rare Tornado Occurrence

AccuWeather meteorologist Thomas Geiger stated that the occurrence of tornadoes is rare in Puerto Rico, and the island is even more prone to hurricanes like storms Irma and Maria back in 2017.

Geiger's statement is evident based on the NOAA - NCEI storm database.

However, Geiger explained that this so-called 'rare tornado occurrence' in Puerto Rico due to the fact that twisters need almost perfect conditions, including energy and climatic conditions such as rotating winds.

While tornadoes are common across the Continental United States, it is hard to get the "perfect ingredients" on such an island, says the meteorologist.

Tornadoes and Thunderstorms

The rotating mass of air in Arecibo was caused by severe thunderstorms on Sunday, which also lead to heavy rain and gusty winds, according to AccuWeather.

Based on previous yet related weather events, the formation of tornadoes during thunderstorms is common.

In March, tornadoes killed seven people in Iowa as severe weather traverse the Central US.

In April, a similar tornado outbreak in the region, as well as in the southern and southeastern states resulted in widespread damage and several casualties.