Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico Hurricane History

No active tropical cyclones are within 500 miles of Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico as of Thursday, 10 September 2026. Official forecasts at nhc.noaa.gov.

Since 1852, 33 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico — about one every 5.3 years. Of those, 16 were at hurricane strength at their closest approach. The most recent was Fiona (2022), which passed 34 miles away on 18 September 2022.

Storms within 50 mi

At hurricane strength

5.3

Avg. years between

Years since the last

Storm tracks within 50 miles

TS / TDCat 1Cat 2Cat 3Cat 4Cat 5

Each line is one storm track, coloured by the strongest category it reached while within 50 miles. The dashed ring marks that 50-mile radius; hairlines are one-degree graticule. Source: NOAA NHC HURDAT2.

How strong they get

Cat 4 · 2Cat 3 · 3Cat 2 · 5Cat 1 · 7TS / TD · 16

The 33 storms by the strongest category each reached while within 50 miles. 2 of them reached Cat 4.

Key facts

Most recentFiona (2022) — 34 mi away, 18 September 2022
Strongest stormUnnamed Storm (1928) — 130 kt (150 mph) at its strongest within 50 miles
Closest pass on recordUnnamed Storm (1893) — 1.4 miles
Closest major hurricane (Cat 3+)Unnamed Storm (1928) — 4.5 miles
Passes within 25 miles17 of 33
Peak monthSeptember — 16 storms (48% of all)
Most active year1901 — 2 storms
Most active decade1890s, 1910s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s and 2000s — 3 storms
Major hurricanes (Cat 3+) within 50 mi5
Record span1852–2022

When storms arrive

JFMAMJJASOND

Storms by month of closest approach; the peak is highlighted and labelled. In Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico, September is the most active month, with 16 of the 33 recorded storms (48%). The primary season runs July to September, accounting for 91% of all activity. The 1890s, 1910s, 1930s, 1950s, 1970s and 2000s are tied as the most active decades on record, with 3 storms. 5 of the 33 storms were major hurricanes (Category 3 or stronger) while within 50 miles.

J	F	M	A	M	J	J	A	S	O	N	D
0	0	0	0	0	0	4	10	16	1	1	1

Activity by decade

19002000

Tropical cyclones passing within 50 miles, by decade, 1850s to 2020s. Decades with no storms are shown as empty columns. Comparing two equal 38-year windows inside the aircraft-reconnaissance era: 7 storms in 1950–1987 against 9 in 1988–2025.

1850s	1860s	1870s	1880s	1890s	1900s	1910s	1920s	1930s	1940s	1950s	1960s	1970s	1980s	1990s	2000s	2010s	2020s
1	1	2	0	3	2	3	2	3	0	3	0	3	1	2	3	2	2

Every tropical or subtropical cyclone within 50 miles

Storm	Closest approach	Distance	Status	Wind
Fiona (2022)	18 Sep 2022	33.9 mi	Cat 1	75 kt
Laura (2020)	22 Aug 2020	43.6 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Maria (2017)	20 Sep 2017	8.1 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Irene (2011)	22 Aug 2011	24.4 mi	Cat 1	69 kt
Fay (2008)	15 Aug 2008	26.0 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Olga (2007)	11 Dec 2007	10.1 mi	TS / TD	43 kt
Jeanne (2004)	15 Sep 2004	5.5 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Georges (1998)	22 Sep 1998	28.6 mi	Cat 2	92 kt
Hortense (1996)	10 Sep 1996	29.2 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Gert (1981)	8 Sep 1981	28.8 mi	TS / TD	46 kt
Frederic (1979)	4 Sep 1979	27.9 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Claudette (1979)	18 Jul 1979	5.9 mi	TS / TD	30 kt
Doria (1971)	24 Aug 1971	48.8 mi	TS / TD	25 kt
Betsy (1956)	12 Aug 1956	11.9 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Dolly (1953)	8 Sep 1953	29.1 mi	TS / TD	38 kt
Baker (1950)	23 Aug 1950	25.1 mi	TS / TD	31 kt
Unnamed Storm (1938)	9 Aug 1938	45.2 mi	TS / TD	48 kt
Unnamed Storm (1932)	27 Sep 1932	21.0 mi	Cat 2	95 kt
Unnamed Storm (1931)	11 Sep 1931	1.7 mi	Cat 1	68 kt
Unnamed Storm (1928)	14 Sep 1928	4.5 mi	Cat 4	121 kt
Unnamed Storm (1926)	24 Jul 1926	35.8 mi	Cat 2	89 kt
Unnamed Storm (1919)	3 Sep 1919	28.4 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	22 Aug 1916	10.4 mi	Cat 1	72 kt
Unnamed Storm (1916)	13 Jul 1916	44.5 mi	TS / TD	45 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	12 Sep 1901	7.1 mi	TS / TD	50 kt
Unnamed Storm (1901)	7 Jul 1901	37.7 mi	TS / TD	59 kt
Unnamed Storm (1899)	8 Aug 1899	6.8 mi	Cat 3	108 kt
Unnamed Storm (1896)	1 Sep 1896	19.4 mi	Cat 1	82 kt
Unnamed Storm (1893)	17 Aug 1893	1.4 mi	Cat 2	90 kt
Unnamed Storm (1878)	29 Nov 1878	44.9 mi	TS / TD	60 kt
Unnamed Storm (1876)	13 Sep 1876	17.7 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1867)	30 Oct 1867	15.1 mi	Cat 1	77 kt
Unnamed Storm (1852)	5 Sep 1852	20.4 mi	TS / TD	60 kt

Post-tropical and extratropical passes

No system on record passed within 50 miles of Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico after losing tropical characteristics, so every storm listed above was still a tropical or subtropical cyclone at its closest approach.

About this data. Computed from NOAA's HURDAT2 Atlantic and Northeast Pacific hurricane databases (hurdat2-1851-2025-02272026.txt), covering 1852–2025. Tracks are recorded every six hours and are interpolated to one-hour steps before distances are measured, so closest-approach figures are not distorted by the sampling interval. Distances are measured to the municipio's Census internal point, not to its nearest boundary, so a storm listed at 55 miles may still have crossed the coastline — see Methodology. Records before about 1900 are sparser and less precise than modern ones, and storms that stayed at sea were less likely to be recorded at all.

How Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico compares

Among the 2,208 U.S. counties and county-equivalents that have recorded at least one tropical cyclone within 50 miles, Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico ranks #468 — more exposed than 78.8% of them. Within Puerto Rico it ranks #69 of 78, against a territory average of 38.4 storms per municipio.

Notable storms

Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1928) passed 5 miles away on 14 September 1928 as a hurricane, reaching 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 4 Unnamed Storm (1899) passed 7 miles away on 8 August 1899 as a hurricane, reaching 117 kt (135 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Maria (2017) passed 8 miles away on 20 September 2017 as a hurricane, reaching 111 kt (128 mph) while within 50 miles.
Cat 3 Unnamed Storm (1932) passed 21 miles away on 27 September 1932 as a hurricane, reaching 98 kt (113 mph) while within 50 miles.

21 of the 33 storms made a documented landfall somewhere along their track.

How often to expect a storm

A return interval of 5.3 years does not mean storms arrive on a schedule. It is simply 33 storms spread over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025. 3 separate years saw more than one storm pass within 50 miles while stretches of a decade or more have passed with none. The longest recorded quiet stretch was 15 years, between 1852 and 1867. It has been 3 years since the last one; 12 of the 29 gaps in this record were longer than that.

Common questions

How many hurricanes have hit Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico?

16 tropical cyclones have passed within 50 miles of Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico at hurricane strength since 1852. Counting all tropical cyclones — including tropical storms and depressions — the total is 33.

When was the last hurricane in Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico?

Fiona (2022), on 18 September 2022, passing 34 miles away — 4 years ago. The most recent tropical cyclone of any strength was Fiona (2022) in 2022.

What was the strongest storm to affect Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico?

Unnamed Storm (1928), which reached 130 kt (150 mph) while within 50 miles; its closest approach was 5 miles.

How often do hurricanes hit Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico?

On average, one tropical cyclone passes within 50 miles every 5.3 years — 33 storms over the 174 years from 1852 to 2025, the end of the HURDAT2 record. That is a historical average, not a schedule or a forecast.

Nearby municipios

Isabela Municipio, Puerto Rico borders or sits close to 4 other municipios with a published storm record. Aguada Municipio, Puerto Rico has 34 on record.

Aguada Municipio, Puerto Rico34 storms within 50 mi Moca Municipio, Puerto Rico32 storms within 50 mi Aguadilla Municipio, Puerto Rico32 storms within 50 mi San Sebastián Municipio, Puerto Rico32 storms within 50 mi