For the latest information on storm activity in the Cayman Islands, as well as information on how to prepare for hurricane season, visit Storm Centre.
Small-craft operators are being advised to exercise caution in open waters as rough seas generated by Hurricane Idalia battered the Cayman Islands coastline on Tuesday.
The hurricane does not pose a threat to the Cayman Islands and is on track to impact Florida on Wednesday as a major hurricane. As at 11am EDT Tuesday, the system was 275 miles south-southwest of Tampa.
It is generating swells that are affecting portions of the southern coast of Cuba and eastern Yucatan; the storm is also affecting Grand Cayman’s western coast.
National Weather Service forecaster Gilbert Miller, in his Tuesday forecast, said seas will be rough with wave heights of 4 to 6 feet and winds will be southerly at 15 to 20 knots with higher gusts today.
“The waves in the forecast are wind driven and will last through tonight,” he told the Cayman Compass via email.
“Scattered showers with moderate to fresh southerly winds and rough seas are expected across the Cayman area for the next 24hrs as Hurricane Idalia moves northward into the Gulf of Mexico. Radar images show isolated showers in and around the Cayman area drifting towards the north,” Miller’s forecast stated.
Local restaurants along the coastline were also impacted by the rough seas, in particular Macabuca in West Bay.
A restaurant representative said the outdoor bar was battered overnight and, with the continuing conditions, it will be closed to the public Tuesday. The restaurant will operate out of the upstairs Cracked Conch, which is usually closed for low season, for the time being.
“We are accustomed to Nor’westers, but we did not expect it to come in with such a force [yesterday]. The waves were really high… We cleared [and] secured everything. No major damage… a couple of railings [are] gone on the area that’s kind of extended out to the sea. However the storm is not over yet, the waves are still coming in,” she said in a telephone interview Tuesday morning.
Employees, according to the representative, also had to pump the seal for the door to the kitchen to prevent sea water from getting in overnight as the high tide, together with the waves, lapped the outdoor bar.
It was an anxious night for the staff, she added.
“I was kind of dreading the night not knowing what [was] gonna happen, if Mother Nature was going [to spare us]. But coming in this morning it was a relief that only the railing is damaged, a couple of market lights are gone. The roof is still intact.”
Cayman’s Hazard Management team posted an advisory Monday night alerting small-craft operators.
According to the Port Authority schedule for Tuesday, the expected call on Grand Cayman by the ship Disney Fantasy did not occur.
Idalia’s maximum sustained winds increased to near 85 miles per hour with higher gusts Tuesday morning and the US National Hurricane Center said rapid intensification is expected before landfall.
Related Videos
