Here’s a quick update for those of you who’ve been following Hurricane Erin.
Hurricane Erin passed to the north of St. John. We were extremely lucky. It did bring lots of rain, and there were some pretty good wind gusts overnight and this morning. The island lost power, but it is slowly starting to come back on this morning.
There was some flooding around the island, especially near the tennis courts in Cruz Bay, which happens after a good rain. There are some reports of mud and rock slides around the island too.
Numerous flights were cancelled this morning, which means many flights out of St. Thomas will inevitably be cancelled too.
The passenger ferry is operating normally. Businesses are open too.
Again, we were extremely lucky with this one. Thank you all for reading.
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
Cruz Bay panoramic taken Saturday morning in front of High Tide
I don’t know about you, but I woke up to several messages this morning about how quickly Hurricane Erin transformed from a relatively weak cat one to a fierce cat five over the past 24 hours. The good news is that the track is still keeping Erin’s eye well north or us, but we will still see her impacts in St. John and throughout the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico today and tomorrow.
Living Earth app: Cruz Bay is the blue dot. You can see the eye northeast of us.
As of 11 a.m. Saturday, Hurricane Erin has maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, which is intense. There is some light wind and rain in Cruz Bay currently, but that’s about it. Wind gusts are expected to pick up throughout the day. According to my Windy app, the wind gusts will top out in the 40 mile per hour range. Let’s hope that holds true throughout the weekend.
The rain, however, is a different story. It looks like we will get several inches of rain by the time this is over. This will likely lead to flooding in certain areas like around the tennis courts in Cruz Bay.
According to VI Weather Lady (who is an invaluable resource on Facebook), thunderstorms and heavy rainfall are possible today around 2 p.m. We will likely experience tropical storm impacts tomorrow. She posts updates regularly, so definitely check her out.
Closings: Ports and Businesses
As of 11 a.m. Saturday morning, the ports remain open, and there is no indication that they are closing. The US Coast Guard will make the announcement if they are going to close. That announcement will be posted on their website here.
That being said, there have been a ton of flight cancellations, which I will detail below.
A few businesses have opted to close today in anticipation of the storm. The Windmill Bar is closed today, and will reopen tomorrow at noon, weather permitting. 1864 has also opted to close today. Several others are currently closed for their annual seasonal closing. Click here to check out Explore STJ’s seasonal closing list.
Flights
The airport remains open as of 11 a.m. Saturday; however there have been lots of flight cancellations.
Miami
American’s 9 a.m. flight out of Miami has been delayed until tomorrow.
American’s 10:04 a.m. flight out of Miami has been cancelled.
American’s 12:44 p.m. flight to Miami has been delayed until tomorrow.
American’s 1:50 p.m. flight to Miami has been cancelled.
American’s 1:10 p.m. flight to STT is scheduled, but slightly delayed.
American’s 5:10 p.m. flight to Miami is currently scheduled.
Charlotte
American’s 7:21 a.m. flight from Charlotte almost made it, but it was diverted up to Miami after getting close to Puerto Rico.
American’s 11:46 a.m. flight to Charlotte has been delayed until tomorrow.
American’s 11:30 a.m. flight out of Charlotte has been cancelled.
American’s 4:05 p.m. flight to Charlotte has been cancelled.
New York
American Airlines’ 7 a.m. flight from JFK has been cancelled.
American’s 11:40 a.m. flight back to JFK has been cancelled.
Boston
JetBlue’s 840 a.m. flight out of Boston has been cancelled.
Chicago
United’s 8:48 a.m. out of Chicago has been cancelled.
United’s 2:10 p.m. flight to Chicago is delayed as of 11:45 a.m. Saturday. There is a plane en route from Newark that is expected to continue on to Chicago.
Philadelphia
American’s 9:45 a.m. flight out of Philadelphia has been cancelled.
American’s 2:45 p.m. flight to Philadelphia has been cancelled.
Houston
United’s 9:48 a.m. flight out of Houston has been cancelled.
United 4 p.m. flight to Houston has been cancelled.
San Juan
JetBlue’s 4:10 p.m. flight to San Juan has been cancelled.
Delta and Spirit currently have flights en route. If you are on either of those airlines, you should be able to get out today normally.
Flightstats – This gives details information on all flights, delays & cancellations. You can check that out here.
What To Do Today If You Are On Island
Lots of businesses, including Wharfside Village and Mongoose Junction are open. Sharky’s over in Coral Bay is open too. When it rains hard, the gut that runs underneath Mongoose becomes a raging river. It’s kind of neat to see. There should be big waves on the north shore at some point. But remember, driving can be tricky when it rains super hard, so please be careful out there.
Mike is bartending at High Tide today, so pop in and say hello if you’re on island! Stay safe (and dry!) everyone!
Want to learn more about St. John? Take an island tour with me!
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
According to the Windy app, the strongest winds will arrive Sunday morning. This information is current as of 11am Thursday morning.
Well folks, it’s that time of year, unfortunately. Tropical Storm Erin is about 1,000 miles to our east. As of 11 a.m. on Thursday, the forecasted track keeps the center north of us, thankfully. That being said, we will still feel some of its effects in the US Virgin Islands.
According to the National Hurricane Center, St. John and St. Thomas may receive heavy rainfall, heavy surf, rip tides and tropical force winds over the weekend. Tropical force winds are sustained winds of 39 to 73 miles per hour. Sure it’s no Irma, but it’s also nothing to sleep on. Seventy mile per hour winds can clearly do some damage and knock out power. Should we panic? No. Should we be smart about this? Yes.
Will the ferries stop running? Will the airport close?
I am seeing your questions online about flights and port closures, and Mike has gotten more than he can count while working at High Tide this week. As of now, Thursday at 11 a.m., the ports are not closing. That decision has not been made yet. So if someone has told you that the ports are closing later this week, it’s simply not true… as of now. The ports will close if we receive “sustained gale force winds” of 39 to 54 miles per hour. So is it possible that the ports can possibly close this weekend? Yes, it is. Has that decision been made yet? No, it has not.
The current port condition, as of 8 p.m. on Thursday, is Yankee. Ports officially close when the port condition is set to Zulu, which is the next step should that occur. We usually get a heads up when this is going to happen. When the ports closed for Ernesto last August, we had more than eight hours to prepare from what I recall.
*August 15th 8 p.m. Update: We are now port condition Yankee.
If the ports do close and the ferries are unable to run, there is no way for you to travel between St. John and St. Thomas. You cannot hire a private boat to bring you from one island to another. When the ports are closed, they are closed.
When will this begin?
According to the National Hurricane Center, the arrival time of wind will be Saturday morning around 8 a.m. (Image below.) According to the Windy app, the strongest winds will arrive around 11 a.m. on Sunday. (Image at top of article.)
Arrival time of winds as of 11 a.m. Thursday
If you are flying out on Saturday or Sunday, check out Flightaware.com. This site allows you to input your flight info and then track the inbound plane. If your plane is not inbound, you likely are not going anywhere.
How Can I Keep an Eye on the Weather & Winds?
Windy app – Download the Windy app to see how strong the winds will be in St. John. You can scroll ahead a few days. You can also view sustained winds and wind gusts.
Living Earth app – See the weather around the world in real time.
Spaghettimodels.com – This is a great site with various weather reports. The spaghetti models indicate where the eye of the storm is expected to track.
See the island of St. John with a resident. See the nooks and crannies that many visitors miss. Explore the beaches, historical sites, perhaps a tiki bar or two, and much more. Full & half days available. Rated “Excellent” on TripAdvisor.
One of the top questions I receive is do I have to rent a vehicle when staying on St. John. We do have plenty of taxis, but it isn’t always easy to locate a taxi to pick you up from your accommodation. Therefore, it is best stay directly in Cruz Bay or over at the Westin if you prefer to rely on the taxis rather than renting your own vehicle.
Where Do I find a Taxi?
The taxis park at the ferry dock in Cruz Bay. They are there morning, noon and night. Simply walk over, and tell them where you’d like to go. It’s that simple. Sometimes you can find a taxi parked in the small lot across from Morgan’s Mango or across from Mongoose Junction, too. They also park at Trunk Bay, Cinnamon Bay and Maho Bay. Taxis in St. John are cash only.
Where To Stay – The Westin
Let’s start with the Westin. It is located just outside of Cruz Bay. It’s roughly a five or so minute ride from the ferry dock. (I do not recommend walking from the Westin to Cruz Bay due to a steep hill called Jacob’s Ladder.) There are always taxis waiting at the Westin to transport you to Cruz Bay, to the North Shore beaches (as far as Maho Bay) or to the Windmill Bar on Centerline Road (more so late afternoon and evening, as opposed to during the day for the Windmill). It’s tough to get a ride beyond those places. Staying at the Westin is a great choice if you want to rely on taxis, but keep in mind that the taxi fares will add up. It costs $7 per person to ride from the Westin to Cruz Bay. That’s $56 for a family of four to go to Cruz Bay for dinner, for example. Just something to think about…
Where to Stay – Cruz Bay
When you are staying in Cruz Bay, there are a few key things to look out for, specifically the hills. St. John is a very hilly island. There are numerous accommodations that market themselves as being in Cruz Bay and having an “easy walk to town.” What some of these rentals fail to mention is that there are very steep hills that you need to walk up or down during that easy walk to town.
If you want to stay in Cruz Bay, utilize the taxis, and avoid steep hills, the following places are great options.
Grande Bay – completely flat
Wharfside Hotel – completely flat
Cruz Bay Boutique Hotel – completely flat
Gallows Point – small hill
Lavender Hill – small hill
Cruz Bay Apartments (on AirBNB only, I believe) – completely flat
Donald Schnell’s Artistic Lofts – very small hill
St. John Inn – small hill
Tamarind Inn – small hill
Love City Lofts – small hill
Dolphin Suites – small hill
Garden By the Sea – small hill and a bit of a longer walk, but a great place to stay
The Saint – small hill
*When I say small hill, it’s one that my seven-year-old walks up and doesn’t even complain that he’s walking uphill. It’s that small. 🙂
The taxis do not regularly drive out to Coral Bay or beyond. There is a bus that does go to Coral Bay and Salt Pont. (The bus does not go to the North Shore beaches.) We do not have Uber or Lift on St. John.
I’ve been offering island tours since early 2017 (the good ole days!), and I would love to show you the island if you do not rent a vehicle. Or of you are renting a vehicle and want to familiarize yourself with the island, I can do that too. I offer three and five hour tours. You can learn more at www.explorestj.com/tour.
If there is something regarding St. John that you would like to know more about, please email me at jenn@explorestj.com. I am happy to help. I am also a licensed real estate agent with 340 Real Estate if you are looking to purchase a piece of paradise.
Cafe Roma is getting in on the lunch game, yet again!
Our friends over at Cafe Roma started up lunch service last week. They’re tried it before, and I, personally, loved it, so let’s hope it sticks this time.
Check out the menu:
Cafe Roma is a great little Italian spot in the heart of Cruz Bay. It is located above The Longboard. Cafe Roma is serving lunch Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. They are open for dinner daily from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.
