Subnormal rains continued in south-central parts of the Commonwealth, prompting the introduction of abnormal dryness (D0) over Salinas and Guayama Municipalities, and some adjacent areas. These regions reported a few tenths of an inch of rain last week..
The U.S. Virgin Islands were wetter in the first half of September than the second half, and all islands were free of drought. CoCoRaHS observers reported 0.47 inches or less on St. Thomas, 1.18 inches on St. John, and 0.37 to 2.19 inches on St. Croix.
The Standardized Precipitation Index for the islands indicated mild dryness for St. John’s Windswept Beach on the one-month time scale, but no dryness otherwise. St. Thomas had adequate moisture, as did East Hill on St. Croix. Christiansted near the east end of St. Croix was slightly dry at one and three months. Wells levels for St. Thomas and St. John were edging lower in recent weeks, while the level of the well on St. Croix was rising.
The Vegetation Health Index was not available for the week of Sept. 29, but the previous week indicated small areas of stress on St. Croix, and relatively normal conditions on St. Thomas and St. John.
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