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- Updates from the Islands -- - St.Croix (USVI) - - |
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| - STX Update |
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Well we didn't get much rain last weekend as was forecast. Looked like Puerto Rico got a fair amount. Oh well, it was still nice and we had a beautiful week with lots of sun and humid southeast breezes. This weekend has given way to high pressure again we are looking at some moderate easterly tradewinds. Winds will be in the 17-22 knot range with gusts looking to peak on Sunday. Boaters should exercise caution, the seas will be a little sloppy in the 6-7 foot range. No real swell component, just wind generated chop. I'll be on the water all weekend kiteboarding. Love when the wind comes up so me and my friends can have fun. Weeee!! Enjoy the weekend. If I'm not on the water, I'm in the air boosting a
jump! |
| - Update |
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St. Croix Update Weather has been beautiful here the past week. Northeast winds, blues skies and sun- lots of it. The weather forecast is calling for a the surface high pressure that's been in our area to retreat. Starting Saturday, moisture is supposed to increase and by next week we should expect some unstable weather conditions. I wouldn't mind my cistern getting some more water. Overall the island is pretty green. I will be giving thanks on Earth Day this Sunday! |
| - An Absolutely Beautiful Day! |
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Greetings! This day went by too fast. However, there are similar days to follow, at least until the weekend we're told. There's a cold front approaching by Sunday. Today, as I floated on my back I looked up at the bluest blue sky, not a speck of a cloud, just a lacey fringe all around the horizon. What a treat for the visitors coming from cold/cloudy regions. Blessings! Isabel |
| - Correction: "one to two inches of rain per hour.." |
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That definitely is a cause for concern. The update from St. Martin's correspondent is even more dramatic with very rough weather predicted during the next 24 hrs. as read in the Crown Weather report. I heard the same on NOAA Weather Radio this evening. Our recently graded road, smooth as paved, is taking a toll with all the rain we've been having during the past weeks. I suppose we are going to be back to zero if we get such heavy rain as predicted. C'est la Vie!! Be alert, stay safe! God bless us all. Isabel |
| - A Perfect Day |
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Greetings to all, I just read the update from the correspondent in Anguilla. Dramatic weather! While our weather turned out as close to perfect as it can get, Anguilla got all the RAIN that we thought we would get and feared. After all, one to two inches of rain is a serious matter. Read the Anquila update and see how serious. There is a LOW developing to our south which could mean trouble for us by Tuesday if it continues its upward trend. We have to keep on eye on that one. All the best for the next days and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Flash Flood Warning in Effect! |
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Good Afternoon! NOAA Weather Radio repeats over and over the big rain event to affect PR and the USVI beginning tonight through Sunday! One to two inches per hour is the forecast from this "slow moving" event. That would be an awful lot of rain in a short span of time, therefore, the flash flood warning. Last night we had some heavy rain to start off the weekend. It was sporadic until midnight, then it lasted for quite a while. The "jump up" celebration was on in Christiansted with music at every turn, shops stayed open late especially for the occasion, lots of food and fun. Some showers made people run for cover, but were soon out again to continue enjoying the event. Lots of visitors at this time and they were having a good time as usual. As for the system that is expected to give us all the above mentioned rain, well, I understood it's coming from the north while another is coming from the southwest. The one is the southwest is of concern to Dave and to anyone who notices that the movement is generally towards the east; coming our way. If you " click "on one of the sat.imagery you will see how it's moving. At the moment it's quite here after some heavy, whiteout, rain during our lunchtime. Hopefully the worst of it will come tonight as predicted. I urge everyone to take the precautions necessary especially if you are in a flood prone area. Listen to NOAA Weather Radio which focuses on our region for the most up to date information. Be safe and have a great weekend regardless of the weather. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Active Weather in the forecast! |
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A happy, blessed Thanksgiving weekend to everyone in the Caribbean and beyond! We definitely should be thankful that we have not had to deal with a major hurricane in our vicinity this season. But it's not over until it's over! When I saw Dave McDermott's blog this morning "Tammy Who.??" the antennas went up. I read it and checked all the sites I have and it turns out that indeed there is a system that bears watching. It's in the Caribbean and even though it looks as if it's moving towards Central America it could also be heading "our way", as Dave indicated. We know that 12 years ago LENNY came from that side. In other words, we cannot let our guard down now nor in the near future as there are quite a few waves coming from the African coast. So, the best we can do is take it one day at a time. For us, here in the USVI, there is RAIN in the forecast beginning on Saturday night through Monday. We've been having rain almost every day in the form of quick passing showers, but this time the forecast is for Rain! Have happy days and be mindful that each breath we take is very special. God bless us all. Isabel ' |
| - RAIN! |
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Good Night/Morning! The trough to our east is spinning off showers every now and then, as now. We are so grateful that that large system has been under strong wind shear. We would have had a major problem to deal with; instead the weather as been most agreeable. We've had our share of showers, sunshine, and a lovely breeze akin to the Christmas breezes, a bit on the "nippy" side for us. The sea has cooled down, many visitors are arriving, the Rose Way schooner is here again, the end of year activities are increasing, 2011 with all its woes is ceasing, can we say the same for the hurricane season? I get the feeling we're going to see an off-season event! Don't mind me. It's late and I'm tired. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - WET !!! |
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We had thunderstorms a good part of the day, and it promises to continue. Our cisterns should be full and we're very grateful. Sorry for the visitors, but on the other hand, tropical rain is so much more interesting since it's always warm here. No worries about coats and a lot of cumbersome gear. So, I wish everyone happy days and enjoy each one, a day at a time. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - SUN!!! |
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I haven't posted in while since we have been on and off the island, but I know Isabel has kept you posted! Well, the day started off very humid with a wee bit of drizzles. I was watching the clouds move in from the east settling in for what seemed lik a long day of yuck. It rained off and on with some distant thunder and lightening, but nothing too dramatic. Today was wash day, so it defintiely was a dryer morning instead of a clothesline morning. I ventured out to Sunny Isle to run errands and there was alot of water on the south road and also Hess Road. Boy, they had alot more action than we did on the East End. Now, its 3pm and the sun is beaming so bright that I had to put the sun shader up on the windows! Well, spoke to soon, just looked off to the
east and here come some nice big dark clouds that looks like it will settle in nicely for the rest of the day :( Oh well, can't win them all. I keep saying that I cannot wait for the tradewinds to start their blowing. My favorite time of the year on isalnd is December / Janaury. Sweatshirt weather I tell my friends back in the south. That sure gets a hoot of a reaction out of them!
Well, signing off for now. Must try to get a little work done today. Keep your opens and ears open...3 mores weeks to the day left of this years hurricane season!
Susan |
| - Night Rain! |
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A Good Night to All! It's a showery night. Once in a while a burst of thunder somewhere. It's coming from the Low 1003mb system hanging out to our north, trailing a lot of unstable weather behind it. SEAN does not seem to be a threat to anyone. Whew! At first there was a computer model pointing at Boston! So far, November is being as gentle as it can be for November, but it's not the end of the hurricane season as yet, then there's the occasional December and all the Nor'easters...those can be just as bad as hurricanes, so for the sake of the folks that can be affected by one, let's pray they don't happen. God bless us all! Isabel |
| - Bad Weather from the South.? |
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Greetings! Just checked and there seems to be more bad weather coming up from the south. The last one dumped a lot of rain on our island. Great if you need it, but our road got damaged and I can see that with more heavy rain it will become just as before, labeled "the worse road on the island". However, this is expected, as the WET season is still with us. It's still lots better, though, than what they got for Halloween in the Northeast. According to the report today there are still 188,000 people in Connecticut without power. They've been in the dark for a week already and they feel cold. If only they can come down to our islands for the warmth. We are grateful for what we have; we are truly blessed. Have a wonderful Sunday and may God bless us all.! Isabel |
| - Weather Havoc! |
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Good Afternoon! Last night before I retired there were flashes of lightning coming from the southwest. I checked the satellite imagery and there was a huge blob thereabouts. Not long after, drizzly weather set in, but otherwise quiet. The rain intensified and thunder rumbled. I fell asleep and did not hear the "mother" of all thunders! I was told about it in the morning. I could not believe I slept through that! There was torrential, heavy, flooding rain. It came in from all sides, and the newly graded road was a mess, again. What a pity. That was my biggest fear. There is another blob to our south but it does not look as menacing as that one last night. However, unstable weather is expected for the next several days. At any time it can rain, it can be heavy, with embedded thunderstorms. As I write, it's getting a bit darker than it was earlier. I will check in again later if there's anything noteworthy for any potential visitor(s). Be well, be happy, and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - 100% RAIN in the forecast! |
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Good Evening! As usual we wait and see if the weather forecasts materialize. I heard on NOAA Weather Radio this morning that we were going to have a slow moving system in our region with lots of rain, like 100%..? That usually means rain all the time for several days. We'll see. As long as our recently graded road does not wash out, that's fine with me; we need the rain for our cisterns. After the heavy downpour at midday, followed by brief showers, it's been quiet. I understood from the report I heard this morning that the heavy continuous rain is starting after midnight tonight. Again, forecasting rain is not an easy job for the weatherman sometimes. It's like the proud parent that talks highly about what his two year old can say, or do, or sing, and then nothing happens. Ha, ha! Our local weatherman has a similar problem, he has heavy rain in the forecast for Thursday all day. That being the case, I'm sorry for the visitors who paid for sunshine. Mother Nature couldn't care less. I do. I always wish for rain at night and sunshine during the day especially for our visitors whom we appreciate very much. We want to share our beautiful island with them as I'm sure everyone in the Caribbean does. As for us, let's enjoy whatever comes. God bless us all. Isabel P.S. Thought provoking: Can anyone imagine the "Mother" of all comets crashing into the Atlantic.? |
| - RINA's latest forecast track |
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Good Evening! I'm not burning the midnight oil today. I just read Dr. Jeff Masters' blog. What an eye-opener! The original track no longer stands; the latest one brings it right back into the Caribbean as a Depression in four or five days. That's bad news, especially since LENNY came from that direction. Let's hope this will not be a repeat performance. We can also still hope that this latest forecast will change again in our favor. When we're dealing with Mother Nature, anything can happen. The weather has been perfect, just a few showers now and then. We could have a tropical wave coming by on Sunday night into Monday according to our local weatherman. We're grateful for whatever rain we can get, as long as it's not a life-threatening deluge! So, let's enjoy one day at a time, and may God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Occasional Showers,-typical |
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Greetings at the 11th hour! As we enjoy refreshing showers, some good downpours, I must say, I am keeping an eye on Hurricane RINA. She is meandering slower than my turtles at 3mph and the computer models are going crazy! Now the "cone of uncertainty" is curved around in our direction via the Bahamas! One model is even taking it straight to Tampa. Watch out, over there! It'll be interesting to see what route she takes. It's not affecting us now, but we still have to keep on eye on RINA. She could be up to no good. Is the H season almost over? Let's hope so. There are quite a few waves coming from Africa. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Blessed Rain! |
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Greetings! I don't know if anyone else is as happy as I am about the rain we are getting right now. A good, heavy downpour. Whether it's the trough I heard about on NOAA, or some spin off from 97L to our south, I don't know, but I am very happy we are receiving this rain. We depend on it for our cisterns and without rain for a spell, they get low and before long we would have to buy water by the truck full. So, thank you, Abba! It looks as if 97L is rushing to catch up to Hurricane RINA. Could there be something there? Like a SEAN possibly developing.? It looks mighty impressive in the satellite imagery, but only those who live there know if it really is as active as it looks. Only TIme will tell. It would be wise for everyone in the vicinity of RINA to pay close attention! When a storm moves only at 3 mph it can be devastating. Be safe and may God bless us all. Isabel |
| - TS RINA & 97L !! |
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Good Night, All! During the quiet pattern that set in I worked on a very big, time-consuming project, and now that that's done, I logged on to stormcarib to see that we have TS RINA in the Western Caribbean and 97L to our southeast and could get something from that. Our weatherman did mention an increase in rain for the early part of the week. RINA is worrisome to the degree that some of the computer models has it backtracking towards our neighborhood. Can we ever forget Hurricane LENNY in '99 which came from there.?? So, once again we need to stay focused on these two systems. I must say it has been unusually quiet, not at all like last year towards the end of the list. Let's hope and pray that these do not become serious threats to anyone. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Rainbow Colors in Her Halo! |
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Good Night, All! I guess it's late again but I wanted to share what I saw earlier and perhaps I'm not the only one who saw it. I bet there's a scientific explanation for the colors around the moon tonight. I went out to the west deck before 10:00 p.m. and there was the almost full moon in all it's glory in a very clear sky. Around it was the moon's light and after that the colors of the rainbow. The colors were from dark to lighter. What a beautiful sight, I thought. I had on glasses so I took them off to see if perhaps the "phenomenon" had to do with the lenses. But, no. I sat there for quite a while then I decided to ask my husband to take a look. He did not see the colors with, nor without glasses. I was sorry he didn't, it was such a beautiful sight. I would like to know that others saw it. I know for sure that my friends along the southeasthern coast will not see sun nor moon, for that matter. these days with all the stormy weather in the forecast. So far, we've been having a very quiet spell with only sporadic bursts of brief intense showers; just enough to keep the grass growing and the trimmers trimming. My notes have only reached PHILIPPE. We shall see... Be well, be happy and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - A Colorful, Quiet Atlantic |
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Greetings! Except for the mini deluge early this morning, it has been rather tranquil, but perhaps not for long.?? There are still several tropical waves heading out to the Atlantic from Africa. Something is "brewing" in the Western Caribbean and it's not coffee. So, enjoy each day and be happy anyway. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - End of Cape Verde Hurricane Season..? |
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That's what I heard today! I hope the Weather Channel experts are right. However, we still have a few more to go according to predictions for the season. Where are those coming from? I remember LENNY and OMAR very well. Those came to us courtesy of the Caribbean Sea itself! However, all is quiet on the home front and if it holds together we could even have a quiet "second peak" of the hurricane season. Not complaining! We went for a late afternoon swim today and had that beautiful beach all to ourselves for a while, with million dollar houses dotting the beachfront not far from the Buccaneer Hotel. The sea was like "bath water" according to a woman who arrived shortly after with her little son. We felt so blessed; while others have to pay so much money to enjoy this "paradise", we have it everyday at our disposal, it's always there for us. We'll take the rest of the season one day at a time and hope that it fades out gently. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Sun and Rain |
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Greetings! It was a beautiful day today, just brief passing showers. A bigger wave is expected by Wednesday. Apparently the forecast models are not predicting anything developing soon. We can breathe a sigh of relief for now. Be well, be happy, and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Smiley Moon! |
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Greetings! This morning at the crack of dawn we had one loud thunderclap followed by a heavy downpour. That was it for the day. It was hot and overcast and perfect for any outdoor activity. This evening I looked up at the sky and could not help smiling back at the moon. What a beautiful sight! The moon was smiling! (Well, all you need, to see this, is a bit of imagination!) And we have lots of reasons to smile this hurricane season as it has been rather quiet compared to last year. Perhaps this month of October is going to surprise us yet. There is a second peak this month and in reality we still have two months of hurricane season to go, so we're not out of the woods as yet. Let's pray and hope for the best. What is becoming more likely is that we could be dealing with another type of disaster. The number of earthquakes in our region seem to be increasing and there are more ads on how to prepare in case of an earthquake and Tsunami. We have sirens in various locations and there seems to be a growing concern here. Yet, are we taking the necessary precautions? In addition to emergency supplies such as for a hurricane, are we removing loose items from on top of cabinets,etc. ? Do we have large, heavy paintings above a sofa which can fall and kill someone sitting there? Have we secured China cabinets and the like to the walls? Our friends in Chile lost their precious wedding dinnerware and almost lost their lives during the earthquake in Concepcion when their cabinet toppled over. Are we aware that we should crawl under a table and wait there until the shaking stops? There's so much to learn about earthquakes, and in case of a Tsunami, run for the hills. Let's use this quiet time to focus on this other threat to our region. May God bless us all. Isabel |
| - TS OPHELIA, Again! |
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Greetings! What a slow mover, OPHELIA! Those are the worse kind. I feel sorry for Dominica which got beaten up real bad. Thanks, Lisette for the photos. I am shocked at the flooding there. I wish you all well and hope that the rains stop so that the island can get back to normal as soon as possible. I hope there was no loss of life. I understand about Tippy, we have pets and know exactly what you mean. We finally got some good rain out of OPHELIA, that is, enough to make the grass grow and keep the trimmers working. We were just thinking of going for a swim when we noticed the dark clouds looming. We did not expect much and did not get much. Somehow that wind shear has been so strong for so long that the storm just could not make it pass the island chain. Now OPHELIA is heading to Bermuda for what appears to be a direct hit as a hurricane. Get ready, folks in Bermuda, just in case. PHILIPPE seems to be turning to the West eventually. Where are YOU headed, Sir.? Let's hope and pray that the season is winding down and we don't have to contend with anymore storms this year. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Meandering OPHELIA... |
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Good night, All! A short while ago we got a heavy downpour that lasted about two seconds! I thought, aha, OPHELIA has arrived. She looks mighty big and close, but no, she is meandering along the chain of islands. We do not expect her to come close to us as she is being pulled up NW at 3mph. We still have some rain in the forecast for Wednesday, I hope. I need a rainy day so that I can get the indoor stuff done. I love puttering around in the garden. Today was such a clear, lovely day, how can I putter around indoors! What a dilemma. I have to put in a request for more rainy days. Ha! I bet that's not going to go over too well with most folks. Anyway, we have to take what we get and enjoy it. Which makes me think of a Billboard outside a neighborhood church, "To combat the habit of complaining, count your blessings." I thought that was neat. God bless them and all of us always. Isabel |
| - Woven Remnants of OPHELIA |
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Good Afternoon, The Remnants of OPHELIA have now a potential of 80% to regenerate into a tropical cyclone. I noticed from the tracking I have in my notebook, that the remnants have dropped from 18.0 N , 60.6 W last night to 16.7 N, 59.4 W this morning at 8:00 a.m.. I don't have the 11:00 a.m coordinates. It has many of us in suspense as to what's going to happen in the next 48 hours. It certainly has a very good chance of regenerating into a Tropical Storm soon. Thank God for wind shear. We could've had a major hurricane on our hands well before this day. Stay tuned. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Is OPHELIA Dead, or just napping? |
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Good night, folks! It seems to me that at a high potential of 60% chance to regenerate into a Tropical Storm, OPHELIA is just napping. At 8:00 p.m. this evening she was located at 18.0 N, 60.6 W.."Locally heavy rains are possible over portions of the Northern Leeward Islands through Wednesday". I don't know if we're getting any of that as we're farther south; we're located at 17.7 N, 64.8 W. Today, we had increasingly threatening skies and we did get some rain, but not everyone got wet, as they say. That could change. In the meanwhile, it's quiet and we're very grateful. Praise the Lord! Blessings! Isabel |
| - Weather Lightning! |
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Good night, All! What a beautiful day! OPHELIA made a feeble attempt to disrupt the activities; I would rather like to think that she did not want to dampen our plans. BUT now, she seems to have turned slightly more West and that has some people concerned. She also lost her status at TS and is now a TD. Let's not get too complacent with that; Tropical Depressions can dump a lot of rain in a short period of time. We definitely have to keep watch. Have a great start to the week and enjoy one day at a time. God bless us all! Isabel |
| - TS OPHELIA & friend |
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Good Night, folks! We are told not to worry about OPHELIA. If she's going to rain on us, worrying is not going to change that. I say, let's enjoy our weekend as best as possible, rain or no rain, and if we can do something nice for someone, so much the better, the sun will shine in our hearts. In the meanwhile, there is a potential threat off the coast of Africa with a 50% chance of becoming "Philippe" in the next couple of days. I read somewhere that it is going out to sea and not affect us or any land. That, of course, is to be seen. Great as that sounds, we know that these systems have a mind of their own too, and can surprise even the experts. As for our people along the northeast coast, they will be in for another flooding event from North Carolina to New England according to the NWS. Abundant tropical moisture is going to make its way up during the weekend. They are still reeling in parts from IRENE and LEE'S flooding. I pray that everyone will be safe both here and there. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - TS OPHELIA'S Veil |
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Good night, All! This evening our local weatherman, Bernie Reno, said that he is concerned not so much about the center of OPHELIA which is expected to pass to our northeast, but the rest of it, an elongated area of disturbed weather attached to the main storm. I call it OPHELIA's veil. Second, the local newspaper the AVIS, "Irrespective to OPHELIA'S track, the storm is forecast to bring a significant increase of showers and gusty winds to the territory over the weekend, the National Weather Service said." I think that this part of the storm has to do with the tail or "veil" I mentioned. Third, the 11:00 p.m. update showed that OPHELIA, though it weakened from 60 to 50mph, has also slowed down to 12 mph. "Slower" is not good, it takes longer to pass. So far it has dropped from its initial speed of 16mph to the current 12mph. Residents in the territory are urged to continue monitoring the storm's progress over the next few days. Let's take the proper precautions and may God bless us all. Isabel |
| - What's up, OPHELIA? |
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Good Afternoon, All! We had a "baby" low pressure system go through us today bringing some squally weather, but not enough to really dampen anyone's day. I'm just concerned that OPHELIA's pressure has dropped again and strengthened some. Yet, there should not be reason for concern as NOAA Radio, etc.. says that this storm should pass us safely to the northeast on the weekend. I, personally, don't mind a tropical storm, but it's what it can do to disrupt the plans in progress for Sunday that I mind. Dr. Rick Knab from the Weather Channel is already watching the next vigorous wave coming off the coast of Africa. When this is noticed so early it means that it will have some potential to become a cyclone in its future life. We can say we are entering the last phase of the hurricane season which can bring some mighty storms like the ones we saw last year. No sooner OPHELIA is out of the picture we will have another "contender". First of all, let's watch and pray that no one gets a surprise blow from TS OPHELIA. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Watching TS OPHELIA |
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Good night, All! We had a really beautiful day today. A second day of work on our road has brought great improve- ments and our vehicles will let out a sigh of relief from now on. That repair was long in coming. I noticed this evening that OPHELIA's pressure dropped to 1000mb. Perhaps some strengthening is taking place. It seems to me she will have a few surprises for us. According to our weatherman on the local news, we may not even get much rain out of this storm, but that's a bit far-fetched as the storm is still a distance away and can go through some very radical changes. The weekend is fast approaching; we shall soon see what OPHELIA has in mind. So, monitor and be prepared! God bless us all. Isabel |
| - TS OPHELIA ! |
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Good night, all! I've been without Internet for a few days, just keeping track with radio and TV. Now, we've back on track with the Internet and with TS OPHELIA which became a name storm just before the 11:00 p.m. update tonight. What can we expect from a storm which has already outwitted the weather experts..? They were saying all along that a Depression could form either tonight or Wednesday, and all along TS OPHELIA had other plans. This is going to be very interesting, especially since we have been mentioned as one of her possible stops. All we can do is monitor it closely and pray that it remains on the weaker side. This has been our good fortune so far this season, that the storms have been weak when they passed us. Is TS OPHELIA going to play along? Unfortunately, even if we're going to be dealing with a weak storm, it is definitely going to ruin the plans for Sunday if it continues on a track towards us. Our weather has been quite WET the last couple of days, especially today with the torrential downpours we've been having. All of that mess of storminess has lifted up to the north and we're having a rather quiet night. Before TS OPHELIA arrives in our neighborhood, she's sending ahead a few runners. One of them should be here by tomorrow,-that is #2 with very low potential for development. It's expected to bring rain for several hours before it speeds out of here. Our eyes are on OPHELIA. God bless us all! Isabel |
| - Lull Ends; New Threats! |
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Greetings for a Good Sunday! Let's pray while we can that none of the new threats to the East develop into anything in the near future. The NHC is giving "potential #2" or Invest 97L a low chance of developing by Monday into a Depression, heading towards the Lesser Antilles, should be in the islands by Friday, some models think it could be a little later, (like next Sunday?) The second Low pressure system is midway between Africa and us, it has a low chance of developing also. Currently there are three Low Pressure systems in the Atlantic and all of them bear watching. We could very well be having the three next name storms in the making! Wind shear is an important factor in whether or not they impact us or come near us. That we usually find out when these systems are closer to 50 W. We have a few days to watch and get ready. The lull definitely seems to be over for now. We are having showery weather tonight from the Surface Low Pressure system which has been in the forecast for days now. These showers are to continue through Sunday, with some torrential downpours in the forecast. Have a good Sunday and may God bless us all! Isabel |
| - Potential Disturbance to our East! |
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Good Afternoon! Could there be trouble brewing for us out there? It's moving West at 10 - 15 mph. It usually takes a week to cross barring any interruption. It's definitely something to keep our eyes on. In the meanwhile, we expect some showery weather from the surface trough beginning late tomorrow, maybe sooner. Well, now that the lawn is perfectly trimmed it's ready for more rain, more growth, more trimming in the near future. Enjoy the weekend and be well, be happy, and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - View from the Peak! |
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Good Afternoon! Here we are at the peak and where are the storms? We have another six to go in this very active season, but I'm not complaining. Last night while watching the program IRENE'S Fury on the Weather Channel, I heard that the total cost of that storm was up to $7 Billion! The most significant cost for 46 families was the loss of their loved ones. Yet, IRENE withheld the full blow which was predicted to be a Cat 3 hitting Manhattan head on with the loss of life into the thousands, most of the city flooded and the loss of power, transportation, and the destruction of glass windows everywhere, the surge which would take away many sites along the coast, and so on. IRENE was bad. We won't be seeing her in the future if that's any consolation. The models don't see anything forming off the coast of Africa, yet I see a huge mass of clouds/ convection in the form of two monsoon troughs. Closer to us is a Surface Trough which will be in the area from Saturday into Sunday according to NOAA; according to the Weather Channel we should be having thunderstorms for several days! I also notice that the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) is spreading again. This could be our saving grace for the rest of the season, on the other hand, much activity is predicted for the Western Caribbean, the GOM, and the Northeast Coast. That's my view "from the peak". Today has been absolutely beautiful, perfect for the grand opening of the Home Depot on St. Croix, along the Melvin Evans Highway, across from HOVENSA (oil refinery). When my husband returned, I knew exactly how Alice must have felt in Wonderland. Until the next update. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - MARIA'S Mystery Friend |
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Good Evening, I noticed on the satellite imagery that MARIA seems to be pulling along a huge blob. Nothing has been said about it, so it will remain a mystery. Our weather has been quite normal, just a trace of a drizzle now and then. It suddenly became overcast during the last half hour. We'll have to wait and see what happens. On NOAA Radio they have been announcing showers and thundershowers, the chance of it happening. Sometimes it happens only on the west end of our "Big Island" as it's called. (Just heard on the radio that there's a tropical wave entering the eastern Caribbean tonight lasting through Wednesday.) According to Dr. Jeff Masters, some models are developing a very strong tropical wave coming off the coast of Africa in 4 - 5 days. They did not indicate in which direction it will move. There's another one developing in the Western Caribbean in 7 - 8 days. So, it's not over until it's over. We just have to remain in a preparedness mode. Be well. Be happy. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - Good Morning |
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Well, today is starting off quite breezy, BUT no rain, yeah!!! There is 1 puddle on the balcony, so it must have rained over night. I slept so soundly that I missed that totally. I suspect that this wind will be with us today and then die down tomorrow just in time for wash day. Hoping for sunshine tomorrow to cook the laundry on the line.
Yesterday it rained hard off and on all day. I don't hear the cistern overflowing this morning so I doubt we made it to the top of the cistern with water from yesterday. Must go check that this morning.
I see Puerto Rico is in the thick of things this morning with the nasties that we had yesterday. Stay safe there, they have alot more mountains and streams to contend with than we do here.
Well, nothing as of yet on the horizon with waves off of Africa, so should be smooth sailing for a bit I hope.
Have a great Tuesday.
Ssuan |
| - MARIA goes to school! |
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Good Evening! MARIA decided to wait until Monday when the children/faculty were going to school. We were under a flash flood warning for days, but the rain never materialized. Then it began during the night, torrential downpours. It's been like that throughout the day. MARIA is moving only at 2 mph. I think the rain will be with us at least for another day. I've been under the weather since Saturday with tropical storm fever. Thankfully there is no other threat in the immediate future. Be well and God bless us all. Isabel |
| - WOW |
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So, at 330am I awoke to some pretty good winds and rain. Ran outside to bring the herb pots closer to the house and managed to get soaked to the bone. Jowlsy the new cat was hunkered down on balcony with a very disgusted look on his face.
It is still raining right now, so I think this might be the awaited rain that we expected yesterday. The winds are still breezy. I can hear the ocean today. Usually it is a stretch to hear the ocean since we sit on a hillside.
Late yesterday, hubby was cleaning out the storage room and yelled to bring a can of raid and the camera. I ran to see what he found. A VERY alive centipede, good gosh I haven't seen one that big in a long time. Well, Raid took care of him after 3 squirts. See the attached creature. Thank goodness he was not found in the house. That is where i draw the line and run screaming.
After that episode of nature, I managed to get a beautiful shot of the sunset here last night. Living on the east side we never get to see those beautiful sunsets that the west side does. See that attached too!
Lastly, I also attached a picture that I took at 6am when the husband went to the office. Almost white out with the rain.
I am thinking that it looks like it will quite a wet Monday. Maria looks like she will miss the Bahamas and also Bermuda...maybe some high seas, but not much else. Thank goodness.
Guard is not down though here on island...not until the Fat lady sings!
Happy wet Monday,
Susan Attachment:
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| - Another beautiful Sunday |
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Well a few drizzles of rain overnight, but nothing to write home about at all. This morning is just a little breezy, LOVING it! Just washed windows outside and didn't even sweat like I normally do!
So, according to all of the sites to visit for the weather, Maria is northeast of us and we are just on a the outerbands of the southwestern side of it.
So, off to enjoy the rest of our beautiful day! Thinking we might get a little rain this afternoon, but not 100% sure.
Stay safe and alert at what is going on around you.
Susan |
| - Today Beautiful - Tomorrow..? |
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Good night, all! The day turned out rather nice, mostly sunny. However, beginning Sunday morning through Monday heavy rain is expected. Judging from the huge red/orange blob to our east we could very well get it. Flash flood warnings are in effect for all of the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. I'm still hoping we get rain for our cisterns; with 4 -6 inches possibly 8 in some areas I think we'll get enough. Next, there's a low potential disturbance to our east. Could this be our next threat? It's already on 13.2N 45.3W -More than half way here. We have to keep an eye on this one. In memory of the 9/11 tragedy in 2001, I'd like to share once more this photo taken on Sept.2nd. God bless us all and God bless the United States of America. Isabel Attachment:
PICT0001.JPG |
| - Normal Saturday |
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It is so beautiful here today it reminds me of the weather we have in December. Slight winds blowing out of the north, big white puffy clouds and the sun beams bright. Looking like we might be in the clear this time, but not letting the guard down just yet....can't ever be too certain with Mother Nature.
There were whitecaps this morning on the sea that blows in fromthe south / southeast where we are located. Now some rollers coming in, but it looks like the seas are dying down too.
I do see tons of the sargassum in front of the Divi Hotel on thier beach. YUCK. It was all over Grapetree Beach a few days ago, so hopefully it will leave the Divi soon too. Well, off to take advantage of a "cool" breeze and replant some herbs that desperately needed some love.
Take Care and if things change at all, I will update. Just a normal lazy Saturday on island!
Susan
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| - Beutiful Saturday Morning |
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Woke up this morning expecting to see alot of rain outside and the balcony was dry, so not a drop of rain all night. Just as I was in the kitchen I heard it start to drizzle...just enough to wet the balcony, then a big beautiful rainbow appeared. So big I couldn't get the entire thing when I snapped a picture.
Well, as I look at what Maria is doing this morning it appears she is deciding to track more north of here, so I think we might be okay with no strong wind gusts. Possibly lots of rain, but that will be about all I think. So tracking north it looks like poor Anegada will be in the path now. If you have never visited this little gem of an island, it must be put on your bucket list. We love to sail here on our summer adventure. It is very flat and takes no time to zip around it at all. Loblolly Beach is one of the most beautiful beaches I have ever seen in our parts! Stay Safe Anegada.
Radar looks clear for us for NOW, so as it gets worse, I will post. I have lots of reading to catch up on since I have been off island for a bit.
Stay safe and alert. Remember that we are under a curfew from 7pm tonight until 5am tomorrow morning.
Susan
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| - Waiting for the Arrival of TS MARIA |
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Quiet Greetings before the storm! As a matter of fact it is so quiet that my grandson(11) thinks it's going to be business as usual. He's going to register with the Soccer Federation "bright" and early tomorrow morning. His grandfather is going along with everything in a "wait and see" mode. The bad thing about an impending storm is the quiet prior to arrival. It's so bad that who believes there's a storm/hurricane coming. Once in a while there's a little gust, the branches blow about and that 's it. The moon was shining down on us with this big circle around it as if saying, "this is how wide that storm looks from up here." I think my grandson will be very disappointed if he does not get to register and start playing soccer. He's been looking forward to this for a long time. The way things are adding up is that we expect 4 - 8 inches of rain, 10 inches in some areas, and all of that should begin sometime tonight. Heavy RAIN will be the story for tomorrow. Windy conditions. The storm arrives later in the day, with probably 60mph sustained winds, if not more. It's not shaping up like a Soccer Day, but my grandson is going to have to see for himself. The Governor has issued a curfew beginning at 7:00 p.m. Saturday to 5:00 a.m.Sunday, to allow emergency vehicles to get through the streets/roads without being hampered by other vehicles. So, we're in a State of Emergency and under a Tropical Storm Warning. Are we ready for this event? We'd better be! Thanks for the thoughts and prayers and may God bless us all. Isabel I will post tomorrow if we have Internet Service. Who knows, maybe it's not going to be as bad as it sounds. See what I mean? The quiet before the storm effect. |
| - Conflicting Forecasts- Who to believe? |
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Good Morning, All! This morning I heard from the WSTA weatherman that we have no need to be concerned about TS MARIA as it has practically fallen apart, etc. etc. etc.. Then I bought the local newspaper the AVIS and I read that the NHC thinks along the same line, however, some of the most reliable forecast models disagree with the NHC. According to f.m. GFDL:"Maria will be a category 1 hurricane by Saturday afternoon when it moves through the Virgin Islands, and a category 2 hurricane Sunday night when it moves through the Turks and Caicos Islands..." They go on to say, "This is the high end of what is possible, but it is quite possible that Maria will make a comeback on Friday and possibly affect the Virgin Islands as a strong tropical storm with 60 to 70 mph winds.." Well, well, so what do we do? Do as of years of yore...look at the sea, if possible, and measure the wind, and from what direction its coming. With all that said, I have to add that what I'm seeing on the satellite imagery on stormcarib is one huge blob which is moving in our direction and the barometric pressure has already dropped from 1005 yesterday to 1003. That should be an indication that the storm is intensifying. Of course, we like to go with the ones who discard this storm all together, but that would not be wise at all, because as the NWS says in the same article, "Regardless of development or track, squally weather conditions, gusty winds, and flooding problems are anticipated during the weekend." We know for a fact that it does not take much rain to cause serious flooding in some areas of our island. So, let's not throw caution to the winds of TS MARIA, rather let us take the necessary precautions and wait until the storm has passed our islands and it's safe to move on, until the next. There are many more systems in line marching across Africa heading towards the Atlantic. Who to believe? It will be interesting to see if the NHC was right after all. I definitely prefer their forecast. I will update later, so far, it's mostly sunny with windier conditions this morning; the sea is choppier, surf is building on the reef. Let's hope for the best. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - TS MARIA - The Rainmaker |
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Greetings! How I wish I had the power to send TS MARIA to Texas. I feel so sorry for them. Hot, dry weather, no relief in sight, no rain until November (?). In the meanwhile, others have to get around in kayaks and boats in their neighborhoods. If only we could move some of that dryness to the Northeast,!! We. are waiting for TS MARIA in whatever guise. She is looking to arrive as a Depression. Well, I'm not going to get depressed about that. We can use the rain and as we understand it, we are going to get lots of it. My only concern here is that we live on a hill, with an eroding wall behind us, and a long cavern in our dirt road which is sure to get bigger with the water charging down full speed. I got stuck once, I don't want it to happen again. RAIN will be our big weather event on the weekend, Sunday being the most dramatic. What am I to do with all those cupcakes I'm supposed to bake for our parish celebration on Sunday! Is there going to be a celebration? Not likely, by the looks of the track. In that case, I guess I won't bake those cupcakes. That settles that! I'll update tomorrow. God bless us all. Isabel |
| - We are ready! |
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Well I woke up today thinking I could get my good walk in, but it was raining just enough to deter it. So, I skipped. Now, I sit her at 9pm feeling guilty for not walking and so desperately wanting an ice cream sandwich. Oh well....life goes on.
So, it tried to rain all day long with lots of dark clouds and lots of thunder too, but believe it or not we have not had a drop of rain except for drizzles in the morning hours. Tonight appears to be quite calm and I just went outside to check on all of the kitties and they are all happily sleeping in their respectful areas and the sky looks pretty clear. I think this will end up changing tomorrow as Maria approaches.
Just from using the tools on this site, it appears that the center of Maria will pass about 9 miles to our south, so we will be under the gun on Saturday night through Sunday morning. I heard the shutters come out of storage for the landlords upstairs, so they are getting ready just like we will be on Saturday. I hate putting the shutters up since the plcae gets to be pitch black whent he shutters are in place and since this storm is predicted to pass at 1130pm, it will be another dark stormy night.....grrr....I like to see what is going on around me. I remeber Hurricane Omar roared over us in the wee hours of the night and all I did was pace all night long wondering how the kitties were doing and also everything else on property.
Heading to the grocery in the morning to get a few last minute things and then we will be prepared. Although it appears that the storm will not pack as much of a punch as before, always remember things can change at the drop of a hat. SOOOO...Please stay alert this weekend for all of the updates. I will certainly post as much as I can since I am finally back on island.
Have a quiet evening,
Susan |
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