Forecaster: More rain on the way

Forecasters say a surface trough was responsible for a midday downpour on Saturday that drenched Grand Cayman with more than an inch of rainfall.

“Most of the showers have moved out of our area, but we can expect to see lingering cloudy skies,” said Avalon Porter, a forecaster at the Cayman Islands National Weather Service.

Porter said cloudy skies are expected to last until midday Sunday, at which time the sky is expected to briefly clear up.

“There is a cloud front in the southeast Gulf of Mexico which is expected to make its way into our area by Monday morning,” said Porter. “When it does arrive, we can expect similar cloudy conditions with scattered showers throughout the day.”

At the CINWS main office, 0.15 inches of rainfall was recorded, however Porter said it is likely that other parts of the island received significantly more.

“One privately owned automatic weather station recorded 3.29 inches of rainfall along West Bay Road,” he said.

The sudden burst of showers sparked flooding in some low lying areas and prompted the evacuation of the Cayman Islands Humane Society.

Porter said despite the rain, the CINWS does not anticipate the need to issue any marine related warnings.

“We expected the sea levels to remain consistent at around 1 to 3 feet and the winds to be between 10 to 12 knots throughout the long weekend,” said Porter.

“People can enjoy the sea over the long weekend, but as usual they should be careful and take whatever necessary precautions are needed.”