Cayman’s weather radar is offline again following a hardware failure, the National Weather Service has confirmed.
In a statement issued Monday night, the National Weather Service said its technical team was working closely with the radar manufacturer “to isolate the fault and determine a timeline for repairs”.
The Kearney Gomez Doppler Radar, located in High Rock, East End, was out of action for nine months when it was damaged in Tropical Storm Grace in October 2021. It was finally repaired in July last year.
National Weather Service Director General John Tibbetts said, in the statement, that every effort was being made to find the cause of the latest problem.
“Our team is working diligently in collaboration with the radar manufacturer to identify the equipment responsible for the issue. Once we have determined the cause of the issue, we will make every effort to get the radar back up and running. Although we don’t have a timeline for restoring radar service as yet, we are not expecting a long delay,” he said.
Last year, a representative of the radar manufacturer travelled to Grand Cayman to complete a number of essential repairs to the radar equipment and the dome.
The radar is used to detect moisture and water droplets up to 250 miles from the Cayman Islands, and is considered an important tool for the weather service during hurricane season. On the National Weather Service website, when the radar is operational, people can see radar images from 30, 150 and 250 miles away.
Tibbetts said that, while the weather radar is an important asset in the weather service’s meteorological toolkit, it is complemented by other services and tools.
“The radar helps us monitor meteorological conditions as far as Jamaica, and is helpful for providing small-scale predictions. For tracking storms further afield, we use the Cayman Islands Government’s GOES-R satellite system,” he said.
Ministry of Sustainability and Climate Resiliency Acting Chief Officer Troy Jacob said the radar had been in good working order following the manufacturer’s visit last year.
“Following the repairs completed by the manufacturer last year, the radar was performing as it should for quite some time,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is not always possible to proactively identify hardware issues.
“We understand the affinity and reliance that the public has for the radar, and that there would be frustration in the community when the radar is unavailable.”
He said the National Weather Service would use other forecasting methods available to continue to deliver weather forecasts, advisories and warnings while the radar repair work is being carried out.
“We intend to keep the country informed of our progress with the radar repairs, and hope to have another update shortly,” he added.
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