Well it appears that we’re going to get lucky when it comes to weather within the next few days. As we mentioned last week, Tropical Storm Danny was churning in the eastern Atlantic and was headed in our direction. It was upgraded to a hurricane and even reached a category 3 briefly last week. Fortunately, however, it’s since weakened substantially. As of 5 a.m. this morning, Tropical Storm Danny had maximum sustained winds of only 50 mph.
When Danny arrives in the territory sometime late Monday or early Tuesday, it’s expected to have weakened into a tropical depression. This is good news as it will have low winds but much needed rain. Danny is expected to drop a few inches of rain in the area, according to the National Weather Service.
Here’s some official info from the National Weather Service in Puerto Rico:
Based on its current track, the tropical depression, at its closest point, is expected brush the southwest edge of St. Croix at approximately midnight on Monday with maximum sustained winds of 30 to 35 miles per hour. Rainfall associated with the outer bands of this system is expected begin to affect the entire territory on Monday afternoon, and rainfall will become more frequent as the day progresses. The bulk of rain is forecasted to occur overnight into Tuesday morning. The system is expected to produce accumulated rainfall amounts 1 to 3 inches of rain with up to 4 inches in isolated areas.
Additional watches or warnings could be required for the Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico later this morning if Danny does not weaken as quickly as forecasted or if the forecast track has not shifted farther south on subsequent advisories.
Should you be traveling to the territory and a storm is approaching, here are a few local sites to watch:
- US Virgin Islands Tropical Weather Station: This is a Facebook page with weather forecasters who are located here in the Virgin islands.
- St. John VI Weather: This is another great Facebook page with an expert who is based here in the Virgin Islands.
- VITEMA: This is the Virgin Islands’ Emergency Management Agency. You can find them on Facebook here or online here. You can sign up to receive VITEMA alerts via email or by text.
- Virgin Islands Port Authority: VIPA will keep you informed on whether the ports and airport remain open or are closed due to a storm. You can find them on Facebook here or online here.