Hurricane Omar is expected to blow across St. John and the other Virgins late tonight and Thursday. A "direct hit" is possible, according to forecast maps which show the eye passing across the island.
As much as 40 inches of rain may fall during the 48 hours, according to the V.I. Territorial Emergency Management Agency. The National Weather Service says winds have increased to 80-miles an hour, making the storm a Category 1 hurricane.
The last ferry between Cruz Bay and Red Hook was scheduled to leave St. John at 10 p.m. Tuesday. All schools are closed today and a curfew will go into effect at 6 p.m. Wednesday night. The Governor has declared a State of Emergency.
Two things are making Omar memorable already. It's late in the season and Omar is coming from the south and moving northeast. Most storms come from the west. Pray.
Here are some links for more storm information:
- National Weather Service: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at5+shtml/085653.shtml?5day?large#contents
- St. John Source: http://www.onepaper.com/stjohnvi/?v=d&i=&s=News:Local&p=(null)
- Virgin Islands Daily News: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com
- The Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/newscenter/hurricanecentral/update/index.html?from=hp_news
- Storm Carib: http://stormcarib.com/reports/current/stjohn.shtml and http://stormcarib.com/