The National Weather Service (NWS) in San Juan warned Wednesday that maritime and coastal conditions remain dangerous, especially along Puerto Rico’s north coast. Breaking waves of seven to 11 feet and high tides are expected, with high tide peaking at 10:48 AM in San Juan, making new coastal flooding highly likely. The NWS maintains a high rip current risk for beaches facing north, including Culebra.
It urged swimmers to follow lifeguard recommendations and, if caught in a rip current, stay calm, call for help, stay afloat, and swim parallel to the shore rather than against the current. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says rip currents are fast channels of water flowing from the coast out to sea, most common near breaks in sandbanks and around breakwaters and piers.
Puerto Rico is the US jurisdiction with the most rip-current deaths this year, with 19 fatalities: 15 men and four women aged 17 to 75, exceeding the 11 deaths in all of 2025 and 16 in 2024. The most recent death was reported Monday, when a 17-year-old was swept away at Callejón beach in Isla Verde.
NWS warning coordinator Ernesto Morales urged residents to check maritime conditions before visiting beaches, noting some towns have closed balnearios preventively, though many visitors simply move to other, potentially unsafe beaches. Rain showers are expected in the afternoon over the interior and northwest, with a 60 percent rain chance and accumulations of half to three quarters of an inch, and a hot day elsewhere.