Puerto Rico remains in extreme drought across roughly 40% of the island, meteorologists say, even after AAA suspended Carraízo’s water rationing plan last week.
Rain from the remnants of Tropical Storm Dolly brought relief starting the weekend of Aug. 30–31, lifting the Carraízo reservoir from “operational adjustments” to “observation” level. That improvement is what led AAA to pause, and later suspend indefinitely, its rationing schedule for customers in San Juan, Trujillo Alto, Carolina, Canóvanas, Gurabo, Juncos and Loíza.
But the relief hasn’t ended the broader drought. The most recent U.S. Drought Monitor update shows extreme drought (category D3) still covering close to 40% of Puerto Rico, including Vieques and Culebra — down from about 44.5% a week earlier, according to NotiCel and Metro Puerto Rico.
National Weather Service San Juan director Ernesto Rodríguez told El Nuevo Día the rationing pause “makes sense” given the relief seen so far, but said the situation has to be reevaluated weekly. He pointed to forecasts showing a less favorable rain pattern returning in the second and third weeks of September, and compared the current stretch to a similar rain event in 2015 that offered temporary relief without ending that year’s drought until October or November.
Related coverage: AAA: Carraízo Rationing Plan Suspended Indefinitely, Not Resuming Sunday
Sources: El Nuevo Día, Primera Hora, Metro Puerto Rico, NotiCel
