• By J69DS at Winlink.org
• Date: Tue, 31 May 2016 22:44:00 -0000

Just sending this one to make sure this works, so when and if something comes 
along we have it covered.

So far all is calm here. WX hot and a few showers...

just making sure all season preps are in place. 
Left to check the shutters.. ham radio in place, portable setups in place, 
generator in place, battery and solar yup!
Make sure you all have canned food in the cupboards, rotate it as time goes 
along

Let's hope for a quiet season....

Regards,

Frans j69ds j62dx

• By Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 30 May 2016 13:04:11 -0400

• By Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Fri, 6 Nov 2015 11:20:43 -0400

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 5 Nov 2015 19:09:50 -0400

Climate Change causes funny weather and the weather today is case in point.
What is this weather system currently affecting the majority of the Lesser Antilles?  Overcast, intermittent rainfall and winds occasionally gusting.  Gusts were strong enough to throw down one flowerpot I had on my balcony ledge that has been there for 2 years! It is cold, chilly (wind chill factor?), cold enough that I'm shivering, getting gooseflesh and sending me to dig out a sweater.

Whatever the weather, be safe!

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 8 Oct 2015 06:18:56 -0400

One impressive lightning and thunder show.  Crackling, rolling, booming and crashing thunder. A frame on the wall fell.  Nature is beautiful, impressive and dangerous all at once.

My prayers are with the peoples of Dominica and Bahamas still.  Disaster cleanup takes months and many survivors suffer flashbacks from simple reminders (PTSD?)
Eight bells for the El Faro crew. We can all question the captain's decision to sail around the storm knowing forecasts are best probability scenarios not 100% accurate predictions. As a CG Officer put it, a disabled ship in the sea is like a big bath toy. I'll add that Joaquin did not play nice. Always holding out hope for survivors against all odds, may those who perished RIP.

Stay SAFE and dry!

• By Chris Reed <reedprincess at hotmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 21 Sep 2015 20:49:03 -0400

Finally, some good, steady, lovely rainfall for about 4 hours and counting here in the south. There's no system or major storm in the area, just localized steady rainfall accompanied with some lightening and thunder. It's dropped the temperature around here a good 10 degrees (or at least that's how it feels) and brought some good breezes with it - which have been sorely missed the last.couple of days. Looks like it's wrapping up - maybe a few more showers (hopefully) This is the kind of rain we need throughout the season, steady, moderate and a few hours at a time. It's very welcome!!

Sent from my Sony Xperia™ smartphone

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Sat, 5 Sep 2015 19:57:19 -0400

 Everybody, I mean EVERYBODY is complaining about the heat all over Saint Lucia. The sea - hot, the forest - hot, the countryside - hot, the towns and villages - hot, the ( you get the picture).
Apart from early morning and late afternoon showers we haven't been getting much rain.  The JC Dam needs it.
Here's to hoping newly christened Grace is able to hold enough moisture to gently shower the islands.
Eyes right!

• By J69DS at Winlink.org
• Date: Tue, 01 Sep 2015 09:59:00 -0000

Yesterday was quite a day. 
I got on our Caribbean HF net on 3.815, heard a few of the Dominican ham 
operators move to a different frequency, I followed and am ever so happy that I 
did. They had emcomm problems and I could act as relay since I could hear all 
involved parties.
The Dominican Government was set to evacuate the village of Petite Savanne. 
The Coast Guards of Dominica Barbados and Saint Lucia were involved, also 
Helicopters from Dominica and the Venezuelan Army assisted. With a lot of 
coordination and no easy landing spot for either Helicopter or boat the greater 
part of the village was evacuated. The Amateur operators J73RJ Raymond, J73CI 
Clem and J73WA Wayne were key to all communication in and out of the evac area. 
J73RJ and J73GM were in Petit Savanne and they did a super job of providing 
emcomm and coordination with all agencies involved. For the better part of the 
day we passed messages from J73RJ to me via HF radio, I would then go on the 
UHF repeater in Dominica and relay the message to J73CI who then would relay on 
to J73DP (EOC police Dept)
In the end some 400 people were evacuated and the Venezuelan team with J73RJ 
and J73GM and some residents remained overnight.

What a job these guys did, evacuate a village with no good landing site, the 
coast line is a rugged atlantic coast and is not like a nice sandy beach but a 
rough and rocky small strip where you have to keep a dinghy at bay and load 
people on board and then go out to the ships waiting to carry them back to 
Roseau.
Just take a look on google earth you will get an idea.

Portmouth has since gotten mobile phone access and internet is working again. 

Also a man walked down the coast from the Point Carib and Bagatelle, the only 
access to that area is sea or walk! He walked down to Petit Savanne and came 
with a list of needs for that area and info about the conditions there, also 
relayed in to EOC.

This morning I believe they will continue I believe. We are already on radio 
contact with the operators in Dominica.


Frans van Santbrink, 
IM: j69ds at hotmail.com
Amateur Radio Operator: J69DS - J62DX- J62YOTA - J64SLI - PJ7PK

Radio: 145.780 (-0.6) Mhz  //  7.188 Mhz lsb  // 3.815 Mhz Lsb // 14.325 Mhz Usb

This email was sent via Ham Radio

• By J69DS at Winlink.org
• Date: Sun, 30 Aug 2015 11:21:00 -0000

Woke up this morning to a bit of rain here, but it looks like it is going to be 
yet another scorcher.

And Fred has already formed, at least it seems it will head north, just hope it 
does not dip on the crossing...
Also seems Cape Verde islands are in the direct path of this one... hope they 
are prepared and will be safe

Have a nice sunday


Frans van Santbrink, 
IM: j69ds at hotmail.com
Amateur Radio Operator: J69DS - J62DX- J62YOTA - J64SLI - PJ7PK

Radio: 145.780 (-0.6) Mhz  //  7.188 Mhz lsb  // 3.815 Mhz Lsb // 14.325 Mhz Usb

This email was sent via Ham Radio

• By J69DS at Winlink.org
• Date: Sat, 29 Aug 2015 17:55:00 -0000

Oh what a hot day here, reading about 33 dgrees and it is stuffy.. light breeze 
not enough to cool down...

However the next one is pushing off Africa already with a 70% chance of 
development! 

Listening to the Dominican HAMS on UHF dealing with a lot of of helth and 
welfare traffic. Standing by in case we can assist with comms. J6 Portable 
Group is always ready!

Enjoy the weekend people and be good


Frans van Santbrink, 
IM: j69ds at hotmail.com
Amateur Radio Operator: J69DS - J62DX- J62YOTA - J64SLI - PJ7PK

Radio: 145.780 (-0.6) Mhz  //  7.188 Mhz lsb  // 3.815 Mhz Lsb // 14.325 Mhz Usb

This email was sent via Ham Radio

• By J69DS at Winlink.org
• Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2015 13:38:00 -0000

After all the rains yesterday Saint lucia is back on the sunny side.
No reports of landslides or problems here as far as I know.

Looking at the sat images and already seeing another one starting to push off 
fromt he coast of Africa

On frequency all day on hf today.
Keeping Dominica in mind

73

Frans van Santbrink, 
IM: j69ds at hotmail.com
Amateur Radio Operator: J69DS - J62DX- J62YOTA - J64SLI - PJ7PK

Radio: 145.780 (-0.6) Mhz  //  7.188 Mhz lsb  // 3.815 Mhz Lsb // 14.325 Mhz Usb

• By Frans <j69ds at hotmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 13:55:46 -0400

• By Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 10:46:33 -0400

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 27 Aug 2015 08:44:40 -0400

I feel sorry for Dominica.  The few pics of flooding I've seen online so far look bad. Reminds me of Hurricane Tomas in St. Lucia.

On my end, here in Soufriere the rain gave us a break, thankfully.  After the fact, our met office issued a flood and landslide warning.  It still applies because the ground is saturated from all the rain Soufriere and Choiseul got yesterday. I specified these two towns because the rest of the island was dry, Dry!  Smh the mountains around us manufacture rain... orographic precipitation.

Now my concern is on the sea, with our bathymetry in Soufriere, any swell gets even more pronounced and waves are already pounding the shore. I have a short video taken this morning showing small swells hitting the sea wall and shooting up sea spray.  Anyone can advise how I can post that on here?

So from SVG up the chain, please be safe!

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Wed, 26 Aug 2015 14:59:00 -0400

I asked for some rain. We've been getting it off and on from about 4 am. Just observed a solid hour of light non-stop drizzle. Looking at the Martinique radar it seems that Saint Lucia's west coast is generating its own rain.
Rain is steadily increasing intensity as I type with a bit of thunder.
So... Erika, we've had enough rain. Thanks. I only asked for some.
Stay safe

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• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Tue, 25 Aug 2015 21:18:53 -0400

Good night fellow bloggers and readers,
Hope everyone is prepared for Erika.  It seems Danny got sacrificed and cleared the air for her. Again, such a gentleman... or maybe not.
I'm watching that patch of clouds ahead of Erika. Will it be sucked up or get to us in St. Lucia?  We need some rain, WASCO (water utility) is still 'rationing' water.  NB. I'm only asking for SOME rain not a deluge, we don't need any flooding.
As always be prepared and stay safe.

• By nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Sun, 23 Aug 2015 20:17:49 -0400

Sometimes I read comments on other weather blogs and I can't help shaking my head. Some keep wishing for monster storms and seem to forget the destruction and how badly our lives are affected by them.
So I am more than happy to see Danny survive the trades and wind shear and fizzle out before visiting the islands. Hopefully he brings much needed rain to the leeward islands and little to no destruction.
So folks from Dominica and up the archipelago, be safe.

• From: nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 6 Aug 2015 09:40:56 -0400

Hello! What is this blob that has flared up east of Barbados?  A low, say it ain't so!
Looks like the sahara dust choke hold might be lessening.
We're in the thick of the season so remain alert.
Stay safe

• From: Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 14:21:55 -0400

• From: Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2015 07:51:07 -0400

• From: nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 16 Jul 2015 04:43:50 -0400

4:30 dazzling lightning lit up the room.
I smelled the river earlier so I've been waking up. Restless sleep. Its been raining a lot in Soufriere tonight. Winds picked up even howling. Wow sounds like things are being blown about my neighbours yard and in the street.  What blob is this?
I can hear the river so that means it must be swollen... I was taught to share so I think that's enough rain for now. Send this blob up north, those islands need water some too.
Stay safe and dry.
Nadia

• From: nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Wed, 15 Jul 2015 19:32:40 -0400

It's been HOT

It has been blazing hot for the past few days. Good for visitors and summer vacation plans. About 5 pm, we got a good drenching shower (in Soufriere) that sent me to check the forecast on www.meteofrance.go
So I'm expecting more rain and perhaps thundershowers tomorrow. That's going to put a kink in the children's summer camp plan to go on a walk.  All the rainwater is welcome because this drought coupled with a dam that 60% silted is a serious problem for water availability in the north. I've been told Saint Lucia gets enough rainfall but we have a serious problem with storage that is made glaringly apparent by the drought and climate change. To adapt, we need to increase storage to capture water during short intense rainy periods (during storms).
Stay safe everyone
Nadia

PS Go Zouks!

• From: Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Sat, 11 Jul 2015 07:39:00 -0400

• From: nada sonia <nadasonia825 at gmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 21:27:31 -0400

It started raining in bouts of heavy downpours early this morning, ~3:00AM (I woke up to shut the window as the wind was driving the rain inside). We got a bit of lightning and thunder late afternoon.

Several farmers and neighbours with backyard gardens or flowers in the front yard were sing Hallelujah!  This afternoon we got a constant drizzle for a solid 2 hrs. That's the kind of rain plants love, easier for soil absorption I figure.

Now with a lull in the rain I can hear happy tree frogs and waves crashing on shore unusually loud for this area. I'm tempted to venture out to look at the sea but I'm pretty warm and cozy inside so... Nope!

MeteoFrance predicts a rainy day tomorrow. TWD states "The tropical wave approaching the Windward Islands will move into the E Caribbean tonight... The next tropical wave will enter the E Caribbean on Wednesday..."

Back to wx watching. Let's see when NHC names TS Bill.

Stay safe and dry,

• From: Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Mon, 15 Jun 2015 17:42:33 -0400

• From: Susan Beckwith <suebeckwith123 at gmail.com>
• Date: Sat, 30 May 2015 14:19:20 -0400

• From: Paul Clifford <zionlionfarm at gmail.com>
• Date: Thu, 28 May 2015 14:35:30 -0400

Since 1 hour.

Very heavy rainfall in the SW - Choiseul and La Pointe-Delcer at the foot of the Gros Piton.

L'Ivrogne River flooding over.