(CNS): Updated 11:30am — Tropical Depression #16 turned into Tropical Storm Nicole at 10:00 am local time as the NHC redefined the centre of the system. The south east bands of Nicole continued to drench the Cayman Islands with more and more rains as yesterday’s forecasts that conditions were expected to improve today (Wednesday 29 September) proved incorrect. Cayman Islands Weather Services said the newly formed Tropical Storm was now closer to the Cayman Islands than previously forecast with an area of TS winds over the sister Islands. A report from Cayman Brac at 10:15am indicated sustained winds of 30 knots with a gust to 44 knots. All three islands will continue to experience overcast skies with frequent heavy showers.
Strong southwest to west winds reaching tropical storm force and rough seas, with wave heights of 8 to 10 feet are expected over our area. The south and west coasts of our Islands will continue to experience heavy wave action and some beach erosion. All boating interests should remain in safe harbour until further notice.
Cayman remains under a tropical storm warning and att 10:00am local time Nicole was located 120 miles ESE of Havana Cuba and moving towards the north east at 9 mph with maximum sustained Winds of 40mph.
Another 2 to 4 inches of rainfall are likely during the next 24 hours leading to extensive flooding of low lying areas. Residents of these areas should continue to take the necessary precautions.
Road networks are flooded and Hazard Management is asking motorists to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary. Standing water poses a risk, particularly when driven through at speed. Heavy rainfall can cause deep pockets of water to accumulate making roads impassable. When driving through flood water drivers are asked to proceed with caution as flooded roads could hide significant potholes.
The CI National Weather Service will continue to monitor the progress of this system, and all residents are urged to stay tuned to the local media for further updates. Additional information on weather conditions over our area for the next 24 to 48 hours can be found in the local weather forecast.
www.weather.ky or
www.caymanprepared.ky
All public service announcements about Tropical Depression #16 will be posted on
CNS Storm Watch, which has a quick link on the main menu bar in Classifieds to the latest updates about hurricanes and storms under the sub-categories ‘Be Prepared’, ‘Business Update’, ‘Official News’ and ‘Personal Notes’. The link to the Cayman Islands Weather site is also on the Classifieds menu bar so that all the weather information is easily accessible.
Seems like the forecast was in fact correct. The weather has steadily improved since early this (Wednesday) morning and there is now very little rain as confirmed by the satellite imagery. Than being said, conditions were very nasty at about the time when children would have been boarding buses for school and Education Department officials should have known yesterday that conditions this morning would make it difficult for students to get to school.
Sorry 12:11 but we were just advises that due to the present weather conditions, the Water Company could not read any Water meters today!!! I am wondering what they would do in the Wintertime when we have Snow in some other parts of the World??? My goodness any excuse for a few more extra paid days off………….!!!
Stay dry and enjoy the liquid Sunshine, Sunshine….LOL
picture: they still teaching people to drive in all that flooding?!
Good experience…they teach you to drive in all the conditions you will experience in the Cayman Islands…kudos to them!!! Who wants dry weather drivers!
I feel safe to say they were not taught to drive in those conditions.
Infamous quote from John Foster on Cayman 27 News tv weather forecast this morning; "there will be a 70% chance of rain today"
The problem is not TD 16 which is away from us and moving further away. There is an, as yet, unidentified system to the south and east of us that is affecting the Cayman Islands and Jamaica.
I find it disturbing that the weather forecasters have not mentioned/explained this. The wind at 16.834 North & 81.501 W is presently 29 kts gusting to 37 kts. which indicates that we will experience increasingly windy weather and maybe more rain. I would venture to suggest that it will be identified by 11:00am this morning.
Anonymous 08:52 there is no second system. The cloud pattern associated with Nicole is wide. This system has been defined first as a broad area of low pressure. Then as the wind field got a bit more organised it became TD 16 and now TS Nicole.
Cloudiness and thunderstorms across the Cayman area are associated with the inflow into the TS not a seperate system as you say.
I deduce that you are part of or one of the national weather forecasters who predicted improving conditions yesterday?
If the effects of Nicole are as massive as you suggest, then it should have been named "Gigantica" as the winds are still 27 mph FROM THE WESTSOUTHWEST (the opposite direction to Nicole) at 16.8 North and 81.5 West, or 462 miles to the south of "Gigantica" and in Little Cayman (300 miles south) the wind is from the West at 20 mph gusting to 49 mph whilst the "center" of Nicole (300 miles North) is only 40 mph gusting to 50 mph.
I still say that we are part of a seperate system which may never be identified.
Anonymous 18:04 yes I am one of those officers.
Tell me will you be relaseing a book on how to reclassify weather systems to the National Hurricane Center, the National Weather Service of the Cayman Islands and the World Meteorological Office?
It seems to me you want to be the expert. This is not the first time that systems have covered large areas. Hurricane Mitch when it was destroying Honduras was impacting the entire western Caribbean and most of Central America. Hugo was even larger.
Now thanks to you we have a new classification called gigantica. When Ivan went through we had some saying it was a category 6 when in fact it was not even a 5 at that point. Whats else is new.
Yes people, it’s raining. Why is this news?! It rains like this work weeks at a time in the UK and if said I wasn’t going to work because of it, I would be sacked immediately! Much as you Caymanians like to think you’re different and that the rain here is somehow worse than anywhere else, believe me, it isn’t.
XXXX This was a weather update. Not a damn thing about Caymanians not going to work. XXXX
08:31 You can say all you like but Cayman is not UK. I doubt if you have an annual weather pattern like us in the Caribbean. People have to protect themselves and their families. Life is better than money. In Jamaica to the south east, 9 people died from this weather and some of them were on their way to work. Don’t always view the world from the perspective of the UK. Thats what some Residents from the UK tends to do.UK is not the center of the world you know. LOL
You come back on ya with your fooolishness about the rain, UK and Caymanians again?? Give it a break now. We’ve read enough of this crap. Cha!
Pay him/her no mind folks. He that don’t hear will feel.