October 21 – Hurricane Thanksgiving in the Virgin Islands

nPostednon October 21, 2013

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Antradition of celebrating the end of the hurricane season in the U.S.nVirgin Islands started even before there was a U.S.!

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nBacknin 1726, when Denmark ruled the island of St. Thomas (now part of thenU.S. Virgin Islands), a Christian pastor named Philip Dietrichs led anspecial church service to give thanks that his community had not beenndestroyed in a hurricane that year. The idea took hold and became antradition that is kept even now, on all three islands.

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nAnhurricane is a giant storm…

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nInbet you already know that hurricanes, typhoons, and cyclones are allnthe same thing: a large tropical storm. The word cyclone isnperhaps most descriptive, because these tropical storms are rotatingnlike a bicycle’s wheel rotates…

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nAndnyou probably also know that hurricanes/cyclones start over tropicalnoceans and often gain strength as they travel across the ocean,npicking up more and more water from the evaporating sea, but losenstrength when they hit land and can no longer grow. n

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Younprobably know that hurricanes are named men’s and women’s namesnarranged alphabetically (so that Hurricane Charlie, say, would be thennext one after Hurricane Betty). Lists of names are arranged ahead ofntime and are used as necessary—but when any hurricane is memorablynhuge and destructive, such as Katrina or Sandy, that name is retirednand a new K or S (or whatever) name is put in its place.

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nHurricanesnHugo in 1989 and Marilyn in 1995 were direct hits on the U.S. VirginnIslands and caused severe damage. Of course, other storms have passednsince then but have paled in comparison…

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nLearnnmore about hurricanes from this earlier post.

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nLearnnmore about the U.S. Virgin Islands.