WAITING FOR TROPICAL STORM GRACE - CAYMAN UNDER TROPICAL STORM WARNING

On Monday, Cayman was been placed under a Tropical Storm Warning as Grace, currently a tropical depression, had shifted direction and could be in the local area by Tuesday.

This follows a meeting of the Chair of the National Hazard Management Council (Acting Deputy Governor) Gloria McField-Nixon, the Director of Hazard Management Cayman Islands and the Director-General of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service.

A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical-storm-force winds are expected to impact the Cayman Islands within 36 Hours.

Intensification is forecast, and the Cayman Islands National Weather Service expects the islands to be impacted by winds of 40 to 50 mph and rainfall totals of up to six inches, especially in the Sister Islands.

The system has shifted its track to a more westerly direction and the center of the storm is expected to cross 15 miles northeast of the Sister Islands around 1 am Wednesday morning.

Hazard Management Cayman Islands is also advising residents to remove debris from their yards which can become airborne and damage property. The public is also urged to have adequate supplies of clean drinking water in containers and to make preparations for possible power outages.

Boat owners are advised to secure their vessels in safe harbour in advance of the storm as strong waves are expected to impact the shoreline, beaches and other coastal areas. Residents should also avoid swimming, surfing and other activities by the shoreline.

Based on earlier forecasts, rainfall up to six inches is expected in the Sister Islands between Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, with two to four inches on Grand Cayman and possibly heavier downpours.