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Update 2am Tues. 24 Sept., 2024: Cayman continues to experience heavy showers and wind gusts associated with potential tropical cyclone 9 which is moving north at 6 miles per hour with maximum sustained winds of 35 miles per hour.
As of 1am, potential tropical cyclone 9 was located 104 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman and 210 miles west-southwest of Cayman Brac, the latest update from the Cayman Islands National Weather Service stated Tuesday morning.
“Frequent showers with heavier rain [are] impacting the Cayman Islands,” it said as it indicated that winds of 35-40 miles per hour were expected for Grand Cayman and winds of 29-35 miles per hour were expected for the Sister Islands.
It added that heavy thunderstorms and flooding of low lying areas are possible and rough seas are expected on the southern and western coasts as the system passes Grand Cayman.
The public is reminded to avoid unnecessary travel and stay indoors as Grand Cayman remains under a tropical storm warning.
Residents are also reminded to secure outdoor items and prepare for potential flooding.
Original story:
Both the Owen Roberts International Airport on Grand Cayman and the Charles Kirkconnell International Airport on Cayman Brac have ceased operations as Grand Cayman has been placed under a tropical storm warning.
This means that tropical storm force winds can be expected within the next 36 hours, as potential tropical cyclone 9 continues to gather strength moving north. Premier Juliana O’Connor-Connolly encouraged residents not to take the storm threat lightly, to check on vulnerable community members and to make final preparations on Monday evening.
The Cayman Islands Airports Authority said the airports were closed 9pm Monday night, following the departure of the night’s last flight.
Both airports will reopen once the ’all clear’ has been issued and airport facilities and infrastructure damage assessments have been completed.
The CIAA’s notice followed the tropical storm warning that took effect as of 7pm, according to the latest weather update issued Monday evening.
Cayman Airways, following the airport closures, cancelled all domestic and international flights for Tuesday.
However, it said it anticipated that, weather permitting, a single inbound flight from Havana to Grand Cayman, KX835, will be operated late on Tuesday with the approval of the Cayman Islands Airports Authority.
All other flights will resume once the ‘all clear’ is given by the Cayman Islands Government, and the Grand Cayman airport reopens.
Passengers affected by the flight cancellations will be accommodated on flights scheduled for Wednesday, it added.
As of Monday night, potential tropical cyclone 9 was 98 miles from Grand Cayman, and 199 miles from the Sister Islands, and is moving north-northwest at 7 miles per hour.
The closest point of approach will be 94 miles west-southwest of Grand Cayman and the estimated arrival of tropical storm force winds is 1am Tuesday, 24 Sept., the update stated.
Winds of up to 40 mph can be expected overnight and wave activity of 8-10 feet.
John Tibbetts, director general of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service, in the update said that although the system will not be classified as a tropical storm at its closest point to Grand Cayman, “due to the rapid development of Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine and out of an abundance of caution, we have decided to issue a tropical storm warning for Grand Cayman”.
He added, “We strongly encourage the public to stay off the roads and avoid unnecessary travel until the system has passed the Cayman Islands.”
RCIPS Inspector & Emergency Response Cluster Manager Ian Yearwood, reiterated Tibbetts’ warning on Monday night through an audio message.
“The current conditions present significant risk, and we must prioritize our safety. If you must travel, please exercise extreme caution, as roads can quickly become hazardous due to flooding, debris and other unpredictable factors. Remember, it is better to stay safe at home than to risk your life or the lives of others on the road,” Yearwood said through his message.
The public can expect very rough seas, heavy widespread thunderstorms, and potential severe flooding in low-lying areas, the update stated.
The Cayman Islands remains under a flood warning and from Monday evening there will be a small craft warning in effect.
The US National Hurricane Center, in its Monday evening advisory, said that potential tropical cyclone 9 is expected to produce total rain of 4 to 8 inches over western Cuba and the Cayman Islands with isolated totals around 12 inches.
The NHC has said that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 35 mph with higher gusts. Strengthening is expected during the next few days, and the system is forecast to become a hurricane on Wednesday and continue strengthening on Thursday as it moves across the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
The Cayman Islands Red Cross shelter on Huldah Avenue will open at 7pm on Monday as a precaution for members of the public.
“As we prepare for impact from Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, I want to remind all residents to prioritize safety and to support your loved ones and those most vulnerable in your communities,” said Hazard Management Cayman Islands Director Danielle Coleman.
“This weather system is somewhat unpredictable, and as such we are taking an abundance of caution. We ask you to do the same and heed the warnings and continue following official sources throughout the next 24 hours. Let us remain calm, prepared and vigilant,” she added.
Further updates and guidance will be provided as the situation evolves, the weather update stated.
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First we closed the schools early on a relatively perfect day. Now the airport is closed (till Wednesday?) with limited winds gusting to the high 30 mph and sustained winds well below, all from a system that is moving away from us overnight.
As a safety minded member of the public I’m grateful to all officials for keeping our Country safe, that said we should recall the grit and heartiness of our forebearers.
When I was here in 2002 Hurricane Isidore sideswiped us with worse winds than this and the planes flew. In Poloma 2005 I thought I was on a ghost-ship taking off in near hurricane force winds and still I survived to see the American Airlines flight on the ground, ready to taxi away behind us as our bird took to the sky and land safely in Miami.
Flash forward to today and we get a bit of gustiness, and officials who mean well, are shutting us down for a day or more all due to a gusty-fart that is leaving the vicinity as it gathers strength and moves northwest.
Storm prediction and public safety important and I recognize that nobody ever got fired for erring on the side of caution, but this great place is becoming less of a tourist island and more of “a place”.
A place with people doing real work, relying on real connectivity and officials willing to take calculated risks to keep the economy functioning and making this “place” a viable one to run the businesses we want to attract.
Closing down the airport and Country out of fear for multiple day period, cancelling school for 2 days over a mild tropical storm are not things to be reinforced as good. We need officials with courage to tell our people that we might have to put up with a bit of wind every now and then and not run scared from puddles and raindrops. I’ve seen far worse than what this system delivered in Cayman in the past and in the Pacific Northwest during winter. Airports don’t close there and did not here in the past. The planes flew and the officials had the courage to make their economy a viable one to conduct a business from.