- Updates from the Islands -

- - St.Thomas (USVI) - -

- - - 2006 Hurricane Season - - -

- PILOT UPDATE

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 17:23:34 -0400

After 3 hours of looking at radars and talking to other pilots; my husband and pilot friends have decided to

hit the bar and hotel in San Juan; pilot reports on the San Juan run to St Thomas were not pleasant. There is

always another day to fly for the smart ones.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 23 Apr 2007 16:41:26 -0400

Oh my.......did I say drought? oops....we have had almost 12 inches of rain since 12 midnight Friday. The wine bucket

is full, I've been downloading the pool back into the cistern all day long and my little house is now it's own special island

with guts to the west and east running like rapids. The hill behind the house is pouring down over the stone wall and creating

a lake effect at least 6 inches deep; a great test of how well built this house is? This is all reminiscent of our normal October-

November rains...a little like Hortense; just a huge downpour, no visibility, and fast running water everywhere. There has been

no thunder, so the dogs are happy for that and the kitties have given up guarding the tomatoes, although those bad birds are

still out there screaming about the weather messing up their feast. We have new construction below our house, and they

have left bare hillsides exposed to this, am waiting see how long the hill actually holds as it backs right up to the house just

built. Meanwhile, my pilot husband and his buddies are in San Juan (after going to that fly-in called SUN N FUN in Florida)

trying to get back in an Aztec; there has been some lifting of clouds on and off, at one point I could not see more than

1/16th of a mile. The radar looks like it is lifting from San Juan across the Spanish Virgins..but then just here on the NW end

of St Thomas the ceiling is very very low, we'll see what they do. Thank you again STORMCARIB for giving us such better

pictures than the SJU radar usually shows. Any reports from Culebra or Vieques would be welcome to me right now.

NO MORE BUYING WATER....THE WATER MON CAN REST NOW!!! AND CARNIVAL VILLAGE OPENS TONIGHT......

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- It's Carnival Baby!

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2007 14:43:34 -0400

Around 2:15 am Saturday a crashing umbrella on the deck was enough to make me throw open the shutters and dance in the rain.

We received almost 2 inches in a short period of time; the telltale flashes of light to the northeast all evening long was a clue that

we may hopefully be back in our storm pattern normal for this time of year. The rain came in windy circles and reminded me

of something (?) I must have deeply suppressed. We are greening up and the weed-eater will be coming out for a spin very soon.

The tomato bird brought of few of his friends for a visit this morning; so the kitties are on full alert. Let's keep this rain coming to

cool things down for CARNIVAL WEEK.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

Attachment: IMG_0391.jpg
Description: JPEG image

- the smell of smoke

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 11 Apr 2007 03:49:10 -0400

It is so dry, I think the driest it has been in the 15 years I've lived here? Hey Super Dave, can you confirm how far behind

in moisture we are since last October compared to past years? I woke up out of a dead sleep at 3 a.m....to the smell

of smoke somewhere in the bush west of me. The cistern is echoing; we all know what that means, and the water trucks

are everywhere. Meanwhile, Ms.Mermaid's misfortunes made me laugh out loud, I'm so sorry about that, but it does seem

that a pattern of mishaps do happen in threes...or (trees) as we say here. PLEASE DO A RAIN DANCE TODAY.

Meanwhile, the horizon is clear as a bell, and I'm enjoying the boat parade between

Puerto Rico and all the Virgin Islands here on the Atlantic side.

Anytime the humidity goes under 70% I feel parched. It is hard to believe I lived in Colorado for years and enjoyed the dry air.

Jane Higgins

in crunchy Fortuna, St Thomas

- RAIN DANCING WORKS...

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2007 16:50:14 -0400

We had a very good soaking rain early a.m. here, over an inch for sure and no watering needed today. Everything is

greening up nicely and their are puddles along the road. It was freezing when we got up, 71 degrees, and the power

was off from 3:30 a.m. till after 7:30 a.m....so didn't need the fan anyway. I'm with Dave, I've been thinking too hard

about how my surge protectors may or may not be working, especially when the power tries to come on over and over again.

So have hauled out the sweaters and hoping for abit more rain, and waiting for the tomatoes to get red. The dogs are good

at chasing that one thrasher bird that seems to be a "found" pet with a strict diet of almost ripe tomatoes,am on the

search for bird netting. I hope the Easter Bunny brings you (and me ) more rain and maybe some chocolate.

Jane Higgins

- GLORIOUS RAIN

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:09:06 -0400

A wonderful gentle rain that lasted all night long (so very rare; usually just a deluge over in minutes) left us with over

an inch in the rain gauge! All the bush and trees are responding already....we are greening up by the moment, and

the tomatoes are SO HAPPY. The horizon is sharp, the sky crisp and a fantastic day for island dwellers and visitors.

Jane Higgins

- I'M SO JEALOUS

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 28 Mar 2007 12:36:13 -0400

Like Dave said the RADAR is deceiving! and I'm so jealous of the Culebra, Jamaica and Puerto Rico rain reports.

We had all the indicators; very dark and cloudy, 80% humidity....maybe a rumble of thunder in the distance and

a TEENY WEENY bit of rain..... 1/4" in the wine bucket...(ops I mean rain gauge). The little bit did clear

out the hazy sky, it is drop dead gorgeous today,rain or not....WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES. Keep rain dancing

puhleeze.

Jane Higgins

the DRY END of Fortuna

St Thomas

US VIRGIN ISLANDS

- AT LONG LAST RAIN

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 27 Mar 2007 13:19:38 -0400

It felt and looked liked August yesterday driving home, I used the a/c in the car, I usually don't but the overhanging

grey skies and hope for rain made it feel really muggy and more like August than March. With everything on the

radar showing a hopeful deluge, we have had about 1/4 inch so far today. Crossing my fingers for more rain soon come.

It is tinderbox dry. It will take days of rain to make up for what we haven't had since November. So Trinis...if you

have had too much; SEND IT OUR WAY.

Jane Higgins

- DUST, ASH?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 18 Mar 2007 08:53:51 -0400

The horizon was invisible yesterday and may be worse today........questions for SUPER DAVE THE WEATHERMAN...

is this all Sahara dust? or ash from Montserrat? and isn't this really early in the season for so much African dust?

What does this tell us about the weather over the Sahara? It looks like July out there, but still very cool nights.

Waiting to see if we will need to buy water again soon, the vegetable garden is getting very expensive; with

all the watering. Ever heard of the $64 tomato?

Please do a rain dance today!

Jane Higgins

- AT LAST RAIN

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 15 Mar 2007 16:04:37 -0400

Finally after much chanting , rain dancing & begging, we have had some GREAT RAIN TODAY....the last few days really clouded up and teased us

but the puffers just blew away. We live in the rain forest on the West end of St Thomas and had to buy water week before last; due to

stateside guests really never getting the whole consumption deal, oh well. Funny story Ms Mermaid, and I thought I knew cheap. I do sometimes

put a piggy bank on the back of the toilet when it is really dry and I have too many visitors at one time. The best rule in the Caribbean is

ALWAYS TIP THE BAND, and you'll have fun all night mon. Now get out there and do some more rain dancing, we are way behind and the

tomatoes are thirsty.

Jane Higgins
In Fortuna, St Thomas

- THE ROUTE DE RHUM LEADS TO Guadeloupe

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 15 Nov 2006 13:35:11 -0400

I've been very guilty of being a fair weather friend all during this fabulous summer/fall season. Truly the most spectacular

weather I've experienced for this time of year in my 14 yrs in the Caribbean. Now I call on my stormcarib network

to give me some reports from GUADELOUPE....a friend of mine is sailing in the transatlantic race from France

to Guadeloupe and is almost at the finish...how is there weather down there?

If you want to watch the race try this www.routedurhum-labanquepostale.com my friend is solo sailor Kip Stone,

on Artforms MONOHULL CLASSE 2 ....he is in the lead and hoping for a record breaking finish in his class.

Click on the French flag to change over to English in the upper left hand corner.

Looks like we'll be have some more rain up here in awhile from that bit of weather to the east. We had an easy

4" in a few hours here on the NW side of St Thomas on Monday. And yes we DO REMEMBER LENNY!

WE ARE THE LUCKY ONES.......

Jane Higgins

jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Rain galore!!

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 16:21:05 EDT

They said it was coming, and it sure did. Oodles of rain this afternoon. Have to check how many inches!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- Rain for days!

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Thu, 7 Sep 2006 08:25:25 EDT

Wow, where did that come from. I have never seen such a display of lightning and rolling thunder! Started last evening. Slowed a bit then picked up like crazy all night.

Hope that does not turn into a storm! I am heading out on a Western Caribbean cruise from Miami on Sunday.

Doubt we will see much from Flo.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- A Hard Hard Rain Did Fall

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 1 Sep 2006 04:40:56 -0400

Wondering now why I watered the tomatoes and peppers early Thursday morning?.....when hours later we

got a full 3 inches in a straight downpour, the pool topped out (a good thing, we just download it into the

cistern) and the road to the house is quite river like! Seems this cloud was pretty much parked over Fortuna

out here on the West End of St Thomas. The rain forest thrives and this very early a.m. message is accompanied

by the very happy frog chanters. They are really noisier than usual! It is very cool now after the

rain, almost sweater weather. The stars are shiny and bright again. Worried for Monserrat once again.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Storm Season Flying

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 29 Aug 2006 10:38:48 -0400

I was in Aruba all last week on business and used my hotel's internet cafe for the first time. Sometimes ignorance is

bliss that is for sure. On Friday getting ready to pack and come back to St Thomas via San Juan I looked at that big

blob named Ernesto stirring up the sea between Aruba and home. Whew, flying around the Caribbean and back and

forth to Florida during this time of year is quite stimulating ! We have allot of visuals imbedded now with

extended weather searches on the internet. The 12 minute run down the corridors of the San Juan airport to catch

my ATR flight to St Thomas was the physical cardio pretext to the emotional cardio workout I got on the short hop

to St Thomas Friday night. We sat on the ramp for about 15 minutes waiting for the other joggers to get to the plane

(all the planes were late arriving and they only have one runway open in San Juan right now) and as we sat we watched the

very black cloud build up right over our heads. There were no lightening strikes near the airport so I knew we were actually

going to leave, but dread comes in waves for me sometimes when I'm about to fly again. My pilot husband constantly reminds me that

folks in the cockpit like living too.....and of course that was my chant as we landed (very smoothly I'll say) into a sideways

storm minutes later in St Thomas. Wondering if I should shroud myself in ignorance during storm season? ...while knowing

I'm addicted to the weather sites like kids to cartoons on Saturday mornings.

Today of course it is glorious, as it should be in the US Virgin Islands. Looking forward to forging thru the next 8 weeks

of storm season as quickly as possible. Stay informed , as being really OVER PREPARED is the best tonic.

And to the writer that asked me about weather from Sept 8-18 while he stays in St John?.......have a wonderful time no

matter what the weather .....you'll love it, and bring a flashlight.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- More rain

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Sun, 27 Aug 2006 08:32:29 EDT

So far that's all that happened. Sun is shining brightly this morning. Thoughts and prayers go out for those in the apparent path. Hope the gulf is spared.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- Ernesto!

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 18:40:06 EDT

Well, I looked at his location this morning and figured we will get some rain and guess what? Cats and dogs this afternoon! Hopefully it will calm down thru the night.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- are you feelin' it?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2006 06:45:37 -0400

WOW.....really feeling the weather you are in instills respect. We are experiencing a very fast moving wave blowing

thru right now...loads of rain from every direction and it is very very windy here in the rain forest which tells me the

folks on top of the mountain are might sail away with these winds. Looks like we need to download the pool into

the cistern again, we just did it yesterday, no complaints about putting more in the cistern as you know. It has cooled

down considerably after all the rain in the last few days and am hoping the cucumbers go crazy as a result. It is

79 degrees with 86% humidity (please explain that to me...wouldn't it be 100% if it was raining?) and the mb

is 990. It feels cold to me.....so back to the closet for some long sleeves. Amazing how 79 can feel cold!

This front is moving so fast will be looking for some sun in a few hours. Glad to hear my friends in Anguilla

got some rain, always good news for them. As I write this, more gusts blowing thru and our wind indicator instrument

is on the fritz......now it is totally still, so just wait 5 minutes and .......

A note for SuperDave the weatherman....one of our readers is coming from Ohio next week to get married on

Aug 17 on Hans Lollick.......let us know if there are any concerns for next week? Stay warm and dry.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- squally

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 7 Aug 2006 07:01:49 -0400

Good Morning,

After loads of rain in the last few days and gorgeous clear skies last night, woke up to bands of red and purple

clouds. The driveway is as muddy as it gets during October rains, and the bush is encroaching the back wall

faster than we can cut it down. We are getting squally winds now and the sea is showing some good chop.

Expecting some rain, but looks like north of Puerto Rico is where the action is. Will promise to PAY ATTENTION

this week ,the gang of blowhards are coming fast off the African coast.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- stormy night

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 16:26:36 -0400

This photo was taken about 6:10 pm last night,from our deck facing the Atlantic on the Northwest corner of

St Thomas in Fortuna and by 6:20 pm night time came early as you can see. As we took

this picture we saw the lower part of the clouds racing west to east, and we know our weather comes east to west, so

it was spectacular to see the counter movement so close.

We saw very cloudy skies, and some rain yesterday during the day, but the real thunderstorm started very quickly after we took this picture.

We received at least 3 inches of rain last night and a few more this morning. The pool is almost overflowing. Around 3 a.m.

the dogs and I were bracing for allot of thunderboomers and the cats were ready to come inside. It has been a cloudy rainy

day again today, so hoping to see the sun tomorrow. Anytime a storm just leaves rain our cistern is happy to accommodate,

hoping that Chris just disappears soon from the weather map.

Jane Higgins.

jhigginswear at islands.vi

Attachment: Stormy Night.jpg
Description: JPEG image

- Gone!

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2006 05:25:49 EDT

Well, he seems to be gone. Enjoyed himself too much and is petering out! Hardly any heavy rains to speak of. It is raining lightly. Hope it slows down, as the grounds are totally saturated from last week, so we don't need a big deluge as it could flood!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- Rain.

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Wed, 2 Aug 2006 19:27:50 EDT

Rained cats and dogs for about an hour earlier. I figure this is one of the outer bands. Will probably continue through the night.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- Still?

From: ronusvi at aol.com
Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:11:03 -0400

A little rain so far. Chris dead north of us right now. Should have lots of rain tonight, they say. All jet flights in during the day were cancelled. The AA Eagles and smaller airlines were flying. Cruise ships diverted.

Ronnie Lockhart

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

- Looking good!

From: ronusvi at aol.com
Date: Wed, 02 Aug 2006 08:36:31 -0400

So far we sit and wait! Seems like Chris will be passing north of us today. We have clouds so far. Expect rain later.

Ronnie Lockhart

Check out AOL.com today. Breaking news, video search, pictures, email and IM. All on demand. Always Free.

- Preparing for Anything?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 15:44:55 -0400

When I saw the big water bottles, small propane tank and garbage for the dumpster all lined up by

the courtyard gate to be loaded into the car today, I realize my husband thinks we need to prepare for

something, if just bad weather and no power? The milibars say 992, it is 75% humidity,

and 85 degrees...so it feels like???HOT HOT HOT.....there is certainly more breeze over here

on the the northwest side then there was in town a few hours ago. I just get the feeling that when

Dave the weatherman says head up! he means it. We've got big puffy clouds on a steely horizon

over the Atlantic and the wild birds are hitting the feeders really hard, so I suspect we are in for at

least a stormy event over the next 24 hours. I'm always amazed at how some people never even think

about the weather (am I weather-obsessed?)as when one of our local corporations left the message

that we have a big meeting tomorrow at 10 a.m. and when I mentioned that there my be weather issues

they were OBLIVIOUS...hum, guess I'll reconfirm that meeting tomorrow at 9am if my phone is working.

Take care, be ready for anything....nothing like "the drill" to get us organized. Hoping that the down

islanders will keep in touch and let us know what we are in for,especially Anguilla, please stay in touch.

I have best friends in Welch's Village and would like to know if they are getting some rain in the cistern?

Also, thank you Ms.Mermaid, I've been pushing for solar hot water heater installation and reading your take on

it, I'm rethinking that concept...you are so right, how much COLD water would it take to dilute it enough

to use? It is all about WATER USAGE.....and saving energy, personally I can live with cold showers, but

some folks can't. After Hurricane Marilyn (Sept 95) when we were without power for 2 1/2 months, I had that

1 gallon jug shampoo and shower thing down pat, amazing the skills we use when we have to and then we

abandon our adaptability potential for simpler lives as soon as the fuel guzzling power plants come back on.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Update

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Tue, 1 Aug 2006 08:39:24 EDT

So, the sun is back out. Nice day yesterday and last night likewise. Woke up to the news of TS Chris. My cousin Chris will be elated that a storm formed on his birthday last night in his honor. From what I have been reading, Chris should pass by us early tomorrow morning. Hope he stays at 40 MPH and he should just blow by us with a little more rain!

Ronnie Lockhart

- storm habitat

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 31 Jul 2006 07:53:08 -0400

We received another 2 inches of rain over the weekend, and had a grey day on Sunday. The foliage is

a thousand hues of green again.....and our minds are gearing up. When the storms form over your head

and move on it is time to think about what is coming. So today begins with more "to dos" to continue

to get ready for what is coming in the next few months. Today looks so clear on the map, will have to try

to get in some beach time before we see more hatchling storms move in around Wednesday.

Jane Higgins
higginswear at islands.vi

- Rain

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Sun, 30 Jul 2006 08:56:59 EDT

Rain, rain, rain, will it ever go away? Tired of it now. I suppose if it is the alternative to what we don't want, I guess it's okay! Somewhere I believe this may be the new jump off point for tropical storms in the making.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

- heads up fair weather friends

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 28 Jul 2006 09:45:08 -0400

I don't write if the weather is great....which it has been on and off in the last few weeks. Some days recently we've

had the clearest blue skies I've ever seen in July in the Caribbean. We had at least an inch of rain in the wine bucket in the last 24

hrs, so the plants are happy. The "fog of dust" that moved in yesterday was remarkable and powerful, always making

me feel abit more secure knowing that the dust will tamper down any storms coming. When weatherman Dave says he'll go

out on a limb, read his contribution on the front page again and PAY ATTENTION, HEADS UP that thing out there looks

BIG!

Jane Higgins
higginswear at islands.vi

- is it February?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 7 Jul 2006 08:09:49 -0400

Last night out on the deck staring at what seemed to be thousands of stars, with a good breeze blowing I thought it

must be February. I can't recall such a crisp, clear cool night in July? The temp read 81 with 75% humidity and

it felt great to me......the lizard genes are taking over my body. We had a good downpour early this morning bringing

about 1/4 " into the wine bucket. And the sky is so much bluer this morning. Hoping that the ash and dust are

blown away for a while (although we know it helps keep storms from forming), as my family will be visiting from

Montana next week and perfect weather would be appreciated. Super Dave (our local weatherman), what is that

"thingy" down south? can you make it go some where else please?

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- gorgeous weather

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 3 Jul 2006 09:12:12 -0400

Yesterday was stellar in the line up of early July days in my memory. The sky was just incredibly blue and crisp with

big puffy clouds blowing by. I'm so glad the Montserrat ash decided to break up before it got here. This morning looks

like more of the same and then when you look at the radar to the south and east makes you wonder how long

this great weather will hold. Today is Emancipation day in the US Virgin Islands; we must not ever forget how

history has shaped our island culture, and hopefully forgiveness will endure. St John Carnival will culminate

tomorrow on the 4th of July. I came to appreciate my US citizenship the most after Hurricane Marilyn. We

really are the lucky ones. Keep an eye out for some storms and higher seas for the next few days. It is 82 degrees

and 77% humidity here in Fortuna, St Thomas as I write this. Now , I'm off to the beach before the weather changes.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- quake? ash?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sat, 1 Jul 2006 07:11:48 -0400

We had over an inch of rain Friday morning early, and then a real good drench again very late afternoon with

plenty of boomers. After experiencing both earthquakes perfectly described by SuperDave our weatherman,

I read more about our earthquake activity and how it relates to the Montserrat Volcano. Glad to see

the report from Montserrat and have a feeling we'll all be seeing the ash come our way over the weekend.

My husband is an airplane mechanic and he is constantly looking at the ash count/volcanic sites on the web

to determine safety factors for the planes. It may be hard for visitors to realize but we literally have some

types of aircraft grounded if the the ash count is too high, so do be patient if you hear this at one of our local

airports.

I see that the marine reports says we'll have some higher seas on Tuesday? Are we looking to have more

storms come thru Tuesday and Wednesday? If mariners can give me a heads up on that would love to know

as I was planning on being on a boat Monday- Wednesday off and on? I'm truly a fair weather boater and will

pass it up anytime it looks like it might be rough, so please advise.

We have steely grey skies early this morning and woke up to more rain, the cisterns and flora are so happy!

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- bang/boom

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2006 15:17:06 -0400

Yes, we heard the big BANG from the earthquake last night, but not any shaking, then a minute

later you could see the diagonal crisscross plaid pattern in the pool....the animals knew of course,

it was enough to get the coconut retrievers up off their "princess palettes" and onto the deck.

I always notice that the cats and dogs run outside whenever we get a shaker. My husband always

says thanks to the earthquake gods, as he believes in a whole lotta little ones relieving all that tension,

then one big one that would put our place down the hill.

Then around 12:30 am the dogs and I were all verklempt listening to the big thunderboomers, and someone

in this house just slept right thru it!!! We had at least 1/2" in the rain bucket this a.m.....and now today

around 3pm, we are really clouding up fast and getting some more rain. WE LOVE IT....

To the visitors I say....when it rains, it makes us locals happier, and so you'll have a much better

time , see if anyone will let you sit in on a dominoes game during one of these storms. I learned to

play Kings Corner during major downpours in Jamaica many years ago, as traveling with a deck

of cards is as essential as a tooth brush in my book, and many games of "gin" rummy

are played if the storm shutters ever go up and the power goes off.

Looking forward to a safe and fun St John Carnival, we'll be in Cane Garden Bay Tortola BVI

to see Jamaica's CULTURE band play at Myetts on July 2. Rain or shine, should be a great weekend for the

Virgins.

p.s. oops it's only Thursday, and all I can think of is the weekend...better get some work done tomorrow,

as there really is always tomorrow.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- nature's clothesdryer

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 27 Jun 2006 15:23:39 -0400

After days and days of high humidity (it was up to 88% a few days ago) I'm reading 62% humidity right now,

and 88 degrees...more blue sky than usual (the Sahara dust does challenge us, but keeps those storms

depressed), and am seeing some pretty big cloud-tops building.

The light breeze and low humidity is making the free clothes line (dryer) out back well worth the extra work.

It is great to see the horizon of the Atlantic looking crisp and defined. Glancing to the southeast looks

like we'll get some moisture coming up the island chain in the next few days.

The iguanas have come in really close to the house lately staking out the genip trees (bunches of large

grapelike fruits, that taste EXACTLY like Sweetart (?) candies)and basking on top of the wild orchid

trees. The wild parakeets are scouting the genips too, so nature is noisier than usual here in Fortuna,

St Thomas.

Take care and pay attention to the weather, knowledge is power during storm season.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- MORE Rain and Lizards

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 21 Jun 2006 14:04:09 -0400

Today by 2pm we have over a new inch in the rain bucket, and looks like some more coming.

Last night I knew it must have been around 78 degrees as I had to turn off the fans and put

a long sleeve t on...yes we are lizards here, the perfect temp is 85, ask any islander.

Hopefully all this moisture will cool the sea down abit, only 81 degrees right now,

so really almost a winter day. The water truck drivers can go on vacation now, that slow

steady drip from the rooftop into the cistern is a favorite rhythm.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- WE LOVE THE RAIN

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 20 Jun 2006 12:16:56 -0400

Up here on the northwest side of St Thomas in Fortuna we had about 1/2" of rain (wine bucket rain gauge seems to work fine) last

night with some thunder, now today we have a really gray dark sky, so unusual for us one would think we were in October rainy

season if it wasn't June. It is a cool 80 degrees and the mlb is 990 and dropping, lots of thunder now and the dogs are

shaking in their paws. Getting the coconut retrievers to try to mediate is always difficult but seems to get them over

the worst of the trauma of big boomers. We LOVE the rain here, the water we collect off of our roofs down into the downspouts

and into our cisterns (like your basements in the states) is the water we get for free. Unless you live right in town

with public water, our water collection systems on our houses keep us in FREE water most of the time, but if guests

stay too long or use too much H2O we end having to buy a truckload;just getting the truck in our driveway is pretty dicey.

In 5 years in Fortuna , we've bought water twice, surely proving that we live in a rain forest! Please remember

when you visit us to think real hard before flushing that toilet and always PLEASE shut off the shower while you soap up.

During October rainy season long showers are the big treat and folks with bathtubs get to soak without guilt.

We also LOVE the rain as it settles down the Montserrat volcanic ash and the Saharan dust. The veggie garden seems

to love the ash and dust as much as the rain. It is these rare rainy gray days that brings visitors and locals together

over a cold drink under cover, a great time for a game of dominoes.

Jane Higgins

- a note for visitors

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 15 Jun 2006 12:38:17 -0400

At the beginning of storm season and at the close of storm season I write a message for visitors as I tend to get

inquiries from stormcarib site readers about our islands as I'm sure other correspondents do.

The United States Virgin Islands are St Thomas, St Croix , St John and Water Island plus many smaller

islands.

We have one of the most varied populations in the Caribbean; in St Thomas we are about 10%

born here Thomians, 80% from other islands in the Caribbean and about 10% from the US mainland and

other countries around the world. I love to try to guess where people are from by their dialect and accents.

Show interest in the folks you meet here and you'll be surprised about how much you can learn about

Caribbean life. Think of us as a small town where everyone greets everyone......

if we make eye contact we nod our heads, or say "Good Day"...if we are asking questions, waiting in line

for a service or purchase we always greet first, with a friendly "Good Day , how are you?" and we then

ask the question or finish the purchase. Your visit to the islands will be wonderful if you greet everyone

and thank everyone, you will get back tenfold what you give, some other customs that some visitors may

not know about or understand include respectful modestly in our neighborhoods and towns; please

do not wear bathing suits unless you are on the beach. Please always wear shirts with

your shorts unless you are on a beach. It is offensive (and actually you can be ticketed) to us locals

to see people wearing swimwear in town, in our neighborhoods or at restaurants.

What does this all have to do with the weather? Well, in off season and storm season, we all need that extra

smile and concern for our visitors and neighbors. After experiencing 6 direct hurricanes in the last 14 years

here, I can say that no other people have ever been kinder than my fellow Virgin Islanders.

I think Ms.Tortola is right,...there is a big "thing" out towards Africa.....we need to pay attention to the EAST

hoping it will bring much needed rain for the cisterns and veggies and fruit. The mangos are looking fantastic.

Today we are having fabulous blue skies and calm seas, funny how a few days of clouds can make us all so

thankful for that big blue horizon over the sea.

Just say "Everyting cool mon", "Everyting safe", "Alright , okay?" and you'll have a great visit with us.

and no I did not misspell everyting...that is another story, and ask us all about cisterns and water usage some day...

a lesson the rest of the world should really learn very soon.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Gusty Fortuna

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 13 Jun 2006 13:44:51 -0400

Good Afternoon,

Looks like it is time to really start watching the weather again. We are having some pretty good gusts here on the

Northwest side of St Thomas in the Fortuna area. We've had enough rain in the last few days to make the

cisterns and tomatoes happy. This map looks very interesting? wondering if something will form?(AFTER it passes

us!) the pressure just dropped to 992 on my weather station and my Atlantic view (I'm at about 600 ft up the hill)

looks suddenly steely and choppy, maybe 5-7 ft seas right now. I'm seeing allot of cloud action coming from

the North and the map is showing more coming up from the Southeast...should make for an interesting clash.

I'm off to get the clothes off the line and make sure things are secure on the deck. Seeing big fluctuations on the

wind speeds all of a sudden.

We need the rain , that is for sure!!!! Hey SuperDave are you out there in cyber space? What do you think?

Not a great day for flying....

Jane Higgins on the Atlantic side

jhigginswear at islands.vi