Virgin Islanders awoke early Thursday morning to the all-too-familiar sound of howling winds and the aroma of detritus in the air.
The Water and Power Authority maintained power throughout the night. But at 5:25 the first outage occurred on the north side of St. Thomas. No one could be reached at WAPA for further information.
The 5 a.m. update placed the center of Hurricane Jose within 30 miles east-northeast of St. Thomas near latitude 18.5 north and longitude 64.5 west. St. Thomas is located at 18.5 and 64.9.
At 5:30 a.m. the wind appeared to be strengthening, although reports from the National Weather Service said the warnings had been downgraded in the V.I. to Tropical Storm warnings. Jose was still packing winds of 75 mph at sea level, according to the National Weather Service.
It was still too dark to assess any damages at publication time.
