Urban flood warning issued for towns in the interior east

He National Weather Service (SNM) issued a warning this afternoon floods urban for towns in the east-interior of Puerto Rico due to the formation of thunderstorms that were leaving heavy rains on the region.

Just as predicted The new day This morning, the formation of these downpours is the product of the combination of the heat accumulated in the morning hours with the humidity available in the local area and the local effects. Stronger thunderstorms could cause gusty winds and thunderstorms.

Towns under urban flood warning:

– Caguas, Gurabo, Juncos and San Lorenzo until 4:15 pm

In its bulletin, the SNM anticipated that these towns could accumulate between 1 to 2 inches of rain in the next few hours.

This newspaper anticipated this morning that the rain activity this afternoon would develop through convection (formation of large clouds with showers and thunderstorms), which would allow some sectors to receive moderate to locally heavy rains.

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Sectors with the heaviest rainfall could receive between 1 to 2 inches, although isolated areas could accumulate higher amounts. Overall, this afternoon’s day should bring between a half to an inch of rain.

This pattern of showers and isolated thunderstorms in the afternoon should be repeated during the next few days, in the same periodbecause the presence of humidity in the region will remain at or above the average for these dates.

However, this Tuesday should be the day with the highest volume of downpours until next Friday, when the passage of a tropical wave would increase the frequency of rain across the island. Next Sunday a second tropical wave would pass, which would also produce rain activity across Puerto Rico.

An urban flood warning is issued when gradual flooding is possible in areas prone to ponding due to poor drainage or being near streams or creeks. Such flooding can occur hours after the rain begins, because it occurs more slowly than flash floods.

The difference between urban flooding and flash flooding is that the latter type of flooding occurs when water is likely to accumulate rapidly hours after a heavy downpour or during a period of rain. Flash floods can occur in areas with poor drainage or near rapidly rising rivers. This type of event represents a threat to life and property.

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Carlos Tolentino Rosario is a journalist who covers weather, climate change and science, among others. He holds a certification in weather forecasting from the Department of Meteorology and Atmospheric Sciences at Pennsylvania State University (PSU). He is also a member of the American Meteorological Society (AMS).