At 11 a.m., the center of Tropical Storm Bertha was located near latitude 17.2 degrees north and longitude 66.7 degrees west, about 130 miles west southwest of St. Croix. Storm motion was west northwest at 22 miles per hour. Storm intensity was 50 miles per hour with higher gusts. On the forecast track, the center of Bertha should pass near Puerto Rico today.
Bertha will move rapidly to west northwest next 12 hours passing just south of Ponce this afternoon. Rain bands will continue produce intermittent heavy rainfall and gusty winds throughout day. These conditions will begin to diminish later this evening, according the National Weather Service at San Juan.
Rainfall amounts of 1 to 3 inches with isolated amounts of up to 5 inches are expected across portions of the Virgin Islands throughout the day. The National Weather Service has received reports of up to 2.5 inches of rain on the east end of St. Croix, A coastal buoy located south of St. Thomas has reported sustained winds of 44 miles per hour and gusts of 72 miles per hour.
As of 11 a.m., there were no reports of flooding to the VITEMA’s 911 centers. However, the St. Croix call center has received reports of fallen tree limbs on Melvin Evans Highway, Queen Mary Highway, and the D.C. Canegata Ball Park and a downed mahogany tree in the Peter’s Rest area near the Cool Out Bar and Restaurant.
VITEMA Emergency Operations Centers remains activated for storm response. VITEMA Director Elton Lewis is continuing to advise citizens and mariners to closely monitor NOAA weather radio or other local news outlets for official storm information.
Airports
Both the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and the Cyril E. King Airport on St. Thomas are open for operations today. Flights are unaffected by the weather thus far, according to VI Port Authority spokesperson Monife Marrero.
Seaborne Airlines
Seaborne Airlines has cancelled or delayed the following flights due to Tropical Storm Bertha:
CANCELLED:
Flight 4545 San Juan to Punta Cana 12:25
Flight 4564 Punta Cana to San Juan 13:45
Flight 3558 San Juan to Vieques 13:30
Flight 3567 Vieques to San Juan 14:15
Flight 4574 San Juan to Virgin Gorda 15:15
Flight 4587 Virgin Gorda to San Juan 16:35
All seaplane flights cancelled for today, Saturday, August 2nd. Weather permitting, an extra line of Seaplane flights will be scheduled for Sunday, August 3rd, to accommodate passengers. Please check Seaborne’s website for additional information.
DELAYED:
Flight 4554 San Juan to Dominica is delayed until 12:30
Flight 4577 Dominica to San Juan ETD of 14:50
Seaborne’s telephone service provider is experiencing interruptions due to weather. This has affected the airline’s normal telephone service temporarily. Please call 727-512-0626 or 340-201-6434 for reservations or to change travel plans. No change fees for Seaborne flights Saturday, August 2nd.
Seaports
The U-S Coast Guard is preparing to conduct port assessments and will make a determination on re-opening ports in St. Thomas and St. John as soon as possible. All ports remain in “Port Condition Zulu.”
