Yesterday we told you about the drought that’s been affecting St. John and how our island animals are suffering because of it. Well today we’d like to show you firsthand what the island looks like when it’s had only trace amounts of rain for several months. I’m no weather girl but the last time I can remember significant rain was back in February. Anyone please correct me if I’m wrong. 🙂
So what does the island look like when it doesn’t get a significant amount of rainfall? Charlie the ACC Rescue Extraordinaire and I went for a little ride yesterday to show you.
This is what the Cruz Bay overlook typically looks like:
This is what it looked like Monday afternoon:
The island’s stunning flamboyant trees bloom during this time of year and usually add a gorgeous pop of color to our hillsides. Unfortunately the drought has affected them too.
Photo taken last year:
Photo of the same tree taken Monday:
Charlie and I took a little hike up Peace Hill and it was particularly crunchy:
And lastly, the famous Trunk Bay overlook…
Should be:
Looks like:
We reached out to our friends at the US Virgin Islands Tropical Hurricane Weather Station to get more details on the rain or lack thereof. They agreed that we are in desperate need of rain. Forecasters Jones and Caley sent this to us:
“We do see a lift in the middle-upper level dry air mass North of the Local Forecast Area lifting soon. When this happens, it will allow more moisture to accumulate, more rainfall.”
More rainfall … woohoo!
Currently the US Virgin Islands Tropical Hurricane Weather Station only have weather stations on St. Thomas and St. Croix. They’re looking for about 10 people who live on St. John to place a rain gauge at their home so they can transmit weather information daily to the National Weather Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. If this sounds like something you’d be interested in, please let us know.
In the meantime, let’s all get together and do a rain dance. 🙂
Keep us posted on the rain. We’ll be down there on the 20th. Here’s to hoping you get greener soon!
Do your dance but don’t too much. Don’t want a repeat of the summer of 2010.
Jenn, we have lots of rain here in PA that I’d love to send down to you all! If only it were possible. Hang in there! 🙂
Sure wish you could have some of our rain. We have had almost 30 inches this month alone here in parts of Oklahoma. We are having floods everywhere.
The weather patterns are shifting, that is for sure. I live in the eastern Sierra Nevada mountains where we are looking at a 4th year of drought. Within the last month we have gotten a significant amount of rainfall from thunderstorms. Early for us, very early. Though it helps tremendously it will not make up for the lack of snow pack that we rely on. But we will take the rain. May your weather pattern shift soon.
Praying STJ gets rain very soon. Keep us posted on developments. Will be down this summer….hope for greener scenery, full cisterns & “stingy things” gone!!!!
Has the drought improved. We will come down for our annual trip in August. The vegetation will rebound just hate it for the animals.