The Kearney Gomez Doppler Radar has been out of service for a week, due to mechanical issues, according to the Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency.
A press release from the ministry stated that the Cayman Islands National Weather Service is working with the manufacturer to replace damaged components, but it did not give a timeline for when the radar will be operational again.
The damaged part is “not an off-the-shelf component and has to be manufactured once ordered”, the ministry said.
Jennifer Ahearn, chief officer in the ministry, said restoring the radar to full working order is a key priority.
“We understand that this latest issue with the weather radar comes during what is typically the busiest period of the Atlantic Hurricane Season – a time when access to radar imagery is of particular importance to the people of the Cayman Islands,” she said in the release.
“I would like to assure the community that the Weather Service has access to other services and tools that enable their dedicated team of forecasters and meteorologists to continue to produce accurate forecasts, advisories and warnings. Nevertheless, restoring the radar to full working order is a key priority and we will do our utmost to expedite timelines wherever possible to secure and install the replacement part.”
She said regular updates would be supplied on the progress of the repairs to the radar, which stopped operating on Friday, 20 Oct.
In the meantime, National Weather Service Director General John Tibbetts said the weather service will continue “to provide accurate, timely forecasts, advisories and warnings to the Cayman Islands community”.
He added, “The Weather Service will continue to work with all available operational tools to provide updates on weather conditions across the Cayman Islands. We understand the importance of the radar to our community and we apologise for any inconvenience this service interruption may cause. The Weather Service will work assiduously to have the radar operational in as short a time as possible.”
Cayman’s Doppler radar, located in High Rock, East End, has been out of commission for extended periods twice in the past two years.
It was out of action for nine months when it was damaged in Tropical Storm Grace in October 2021 before being restored in July 2022. And it was inoperable from March to May this year after encountering a hardware failure.
The radar is used to detect moisture and water droplets up to 250 miles from the Cayman Islands. On the National Weather Service website, when the radar is operational, people can see radar images from 30, 150 and 250 miles away.
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