Heavy rains cause power outages and force widespread closures in the USVI

John McCarthyPosted oninBreaking News, Environmental News, St. Croix News, St. John News, St. Thomas News

CHARLOTTE AMALIE (AP) — Heavy rains forced the closure of schools, businesses and government agencies in the U.S. Virgin Islands today.

A widespread power outage also was reported in St. John and St. Thomas.

Forecasters warned of flooding, landslides and dangerous river surges across the U.S. Virgin Islands and in parts of neighboring Puerto Rico.

The National Weather Service said a tropical wave combined with a nearby trough, which is an area of relatively low pressure, was to blame for the heavy rains.

The rough weather was not associated with Tropical Storm Gabrielle, which was approaching the Caribbean but is expected to remain over open water.

John McCarthy

John F. McCarthy is a veteran journalist in the Caribbean, writing from the "Decision Space" where survival meets the surreal. His reporting steel was tempered by a lineage of legendary editors and broadcasters, including Ed Wynn Brant (The Bomb), Owen Eschenroder (Ann Arbor News), Lynelle Emanuel (BVI Beacon), and Charles Thanas (WSVI-TV). Alongside longtime colleague Kenneth C. "Casey" Clark, McCarthy has navigated the front lines of the territory’s history—from the 1997 volcanic "snow" to every major hurricane since Hugo. Known for leaning out of doorless helicopters to capture the "money shot," McCarthy now edits the V.I. Free Press, providing the essential link between the island's colonial past and its SpaceX future.