The US Drought Monitor map dated September 8 puts 61 of 78 municipios in at least moderate drought (D1). The worst tier, D3 extreme drought, covers 39 of them, led by Aibonito, Canóvanas and Carolina.
66 of the 78 municipios (84.6% of them) are at least abnormally dry. Since the last map this desk published, no municipio worsened and 11 improved, while 67 stayed in the same category.
The biggest moves: Orocovis (extreme drought to severe drought). In the week to September 11, the biggest reservoir fall was Lucchetti, down 0.54 m (Seguridad band), and the biggest rise Río Blanco, up 0.45 m.
The tables below carry every category, the municipios in the worst tier and each reservoir’s week.
By category
| Category (US Drought Monitor intensity category) | Municipios (Municipios whose worst category on the map is this one) | Share of 78 |
|---|---|---|
| No drought | 12 | 15.4% |
| D0 abnormally dry | 5 | 6.4% |
| D1 moderate drought | 8 | 10.3% |
| D2 severe drought | 14 | 17.9% |
| D3 extreme drought | 39 | 50% |
| D4 exceptional drought | 0 | 0% |
Where the map is worst
| Municipio | Category | Share of area (Share of the municipio's area at this category or worse) |
|---|---|---|
| Aibonito | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Canóvanas | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Carolina | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Culebra | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Guánica | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Gurabo | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Juncos | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
| Lajas | D3 extreme drought | 100% |
The 8 municipios with the largest share of their area at D3, of 39 in that tier.
Week over week
| Municipio | Last map (Worst category on the previous map) | This map (Worst category on this map) |
|---|---|---|
| Orocovis | D3 extreme drought | D2 severe drought |
| Ciales | D2 severe drought | D1 moderate drought |
| Morovis | D2 severe drought | D1 moderate drought |
| Vega Baja | D2 severe drought | D1 moderate drought |
| Arecibo | D1 moderate drought | D0 abnormally dry |
| Barceloneta | D1 moderate drought | D0 abnormally dry |
| Florida | D1 moderate drought | D0 abnormally dry |
| Manatí | D1 moderate drought | D0 abnormally dry |
| Camuy | D0 abnormally dry | None no drought |
| Hatillo | D0 abnormally dry | None no drought |
| Quebradillas | D0 abnormally dry | None no drought |
The reservoirs
| Reservoir | Level (m) (AAA chart reading, meters above the reservoir's datum) | 7-day change (Change against the reading seven days earlier) | AAA band (AAA's operating band: seguridad, observación, ajustes, control) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lucchetti | 171.10 | down 0.54 m | Seguridad |
| La Plata | 44.14 | down 0.43 m | Ajustes |
| Cerrillos | 167.36 | down 0.19 m | Seguridad |
| Guayabal | 102.81 | down 0.17 m | Seguridad |
| Dos Bocas | 89.80 | down 0.16 m | Seguridad |
| Garzas | 736.06 | down 0.04 m | Seguridad |
| Toa Vaca | 147.21 | down 0.01 m | Seguridad |
| Loco | 69.51 | up 0.05 m | Seguridad |
| Cidra | 400.27 | up 0.1 m | Observación |
| Carraízo | 39.20 | up 0.11 m | Observación |
| Patillas | 66.01 | up 0.14 m | Desborde |
| Guineo | 902.43 | up 0.18 m | Desborde |
| Carite | 542.25 | up 0.24 m | Seguridad |
| Guajataca | 196.25 | up 0.32 m | Seguridad |
| Matrullas | 734.64 | up 0.36 m | Seguridad |
| Caonillas | 251.59 | up 0.37 m | Seguridad |
| Guayo | 442.64 | up 0.37 m | Seguridad |
| Fajardo | 47.13 | up 0.39 m | Observación |
| Río Blanco | 25.34 | up 0.45 m | Observación |
Levels are AAA’s chart readings for September 11; the change is against September 4.
The full map, colored by category, is on the water page, next to the reservoir board and the rationing schedule. This is the 2nd Drought Watch (the previous one is here).
Source: US Drought Monitor (NDMC, USDA, NOAA) county statistics for Puerto Rico, map dated Sep 8; reservoir levels from AAA’s published chart. USDM categories are a weekly expert synthesis of indicators, not a rainfall total; municipio shares are area-weighted.
Corrected October 7: an earlier version gave the share of municipios as a share of the island; it is a count of towns, not of land.