Prolonged rainy conditions force school closings and rescheduling of court matters today

Public schools across Antigua and Barbuda were closed today,
February 8, due to the inclement weather conditions.

In a notice put out by the Ministry of Education, parents and
guardians were advised that all government schools and other
learning institutions are closed.

The Ministry, which does not have a direct say on how private
institutions operate, recommended that these schools do likewise
for the safety of their students.

Classes at UWI Five Islands Campus were also canceled, while those
at the YEEP Department are being held online today.

Meanwhile, the weather conditions have impacted not only schools
but the judiciary. In a notice issued by the High Court of Justice,
jurors who were expected to attend court on Thursday were asked
not to report as scheduled.

Instead, they should report to the court next Monday, February 12,
for 9 a.m., the notice says. 

On Wednesday, February 7, Antigua and Barbuda was placed under
a flash flood watch, and this should end at 8 p.m. tonight.

Apparently some areas have had up to three inches of rain (75mm)
in the last six hours. This has resulted mainly in minor flooding,
forecasters say.

Other countries have experienced flooding due to a system affecting
the Caribbean. Weather officials say that a frontal trough over the
British Virgin Islands is causing periodic heavy showers that are
likely to last late into the day.