Puerto Rico Morning Brief Friday, September 11, 2026

Puerto Rico’s drought conditions continue to worsen, with 61 of the island’s 78 municipios now in at least moderate drought and 39 experiencing extreme drought as of the September 8 map. An additional five municipios are classified as abnormally dry, bringing the total affected to 66. Compounding the dry conditions, weather officials say the island is set for a notable shift over the next few days as a drier air mass moves in, carrying high concentrations of dust. This change suggests little relief is coming soon for the drought-stricken regions.

The island’s power grid remains under strain as well, with 15 blackouts recorded between July and August alone. That figure nearly matches the total number of outages seen during the entirety of summer 2025, raising concerns about the grid’s reliability as dry conditions persist.

Two men were charged separately with sexual harassment following cases heard at the Ponce Tribunal: Iván Vega de Jesús, 68, and René Antonio Camacho López, 52. On a lighter note, music fans in Bayamón have something to look forward to this weekend, as Orquesta El Macabeo is set to perform at Teatro Oller. The band, known for its distinctive take on salsa, will showcase a sound they’ve refined over nearly two decades of performing.