Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
A HIGH WIND GONNA BLOW
The word 'hurricane,' denoting fierce cyclonic storms with winds in excess of
75mph, comes from the language of Taíno Indians and their god of malevolence,
Jurakán. Generally, the 'seeds' of these storms begin to grow off the west coast of
Africa near the Cape Verde Islands. They migrate across the equatorial girdle of the
Atlantic to the southern Caribbean as upper-atmospheric disturbances driven by the
easterly trade winds. Here, they linger and pick up moisture and energy until the
Coriolis effect of Earth's rotation propels the growing storms north through the
Caribbean and/or the Gulf of Mexico. Eventually, many of the storms pose a threat to
the southern and eastern US coasts.
The official hurricane season is from June 1 through November 30. August and
September see the most action. The following records from the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration show how many tropical storms/hurricanes have struck
the Virgins' region between 1819 and 2001:
» July: 9
» August: 34
» September: 38
» October: 9
» November: 4
Good, long-range storm predictions (broadcast widely on TV and radio and in
newspapers), thorough preparation and the nearly universal practice of building new
houses and public and commercial buildings with cement block or reinforced con-
crete have gone a long way toward reducing casualties and property damage.
You may have heard 'Lesser Antilles' or 'Eastern Caribbean' used to reference the Virgin Islands. The
terms are interchangeable and apply to the broader archipelago that extends east and southeast from the
Virgins to Trinidad and Tobago, just off Venezuela's northern coast.
