A vigorous tropical wave will approach Puerto Rico Wednesday afternoon and keep a rainy pattern over the island at least through Friday, meteorologist Glorianne Rivera of the National Weather Service (NWS) said Tuesday. She noted the rain is welcome relief for towns needing it. Activity tied to the wave will concentrate in the mornings over eastern sectors, the metro area, and northern municipalities, shifting to showers mainly in the west during afternoons, with almost the entire island expected to receive rain.
Tuesday itself was also active due to an upper-level trough that fueled showers over metro-area municipalities since early morning; that instability combined with local effects and daytime heating was expected to bring strong showers and numerous thunderstorms to western and interior Puerto Rico, plus afternoon rain in the metro area and nearby towns. Rivera urged residents of flood- and landslide-prone zones, especially in the west and northwest where soils remain saturated from recent rains, to stay alert.
Coastal waves are expected below five feet in most regional waters, with a moderate risk of marine currents in northern and eastern sectors persisting for days. Low concentrations of Saharan dust are expected to arrive over the weekend.