In preparation for the anticipated arrival of Tropical Storm Rafael, officers and reservists from the Cayman Islands Regiment were deployed to the Sister Islands, including Cayman Brac, to assist with critical preparations and emergency response operations.
As of 4pm, Tropical Storm Rafael moved north with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph.
As of 4:30pm the Cayman Islands have been placed under a hurricane watch, in relation to a developing weather system in the southwest Caribbean
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service continues to closely monitor an area over the southwest Caribbean from which a broad area of low pressure is likely to form this weekend or early next week
Residents of the Cayman Islands are urged to stay on high alert, especially for the next few days as the weather emergency caused by the development of what became deadly hurricane Helene, seems set for a replay.
A sigh of relief is rippling throughout Cayman as the community reflects on what might have been after escaping the early stages of what became Hurricane Helene.
The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (NWS) and Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI) are urging residents to remain vigilant as a system continues to be monitored for further development, potentially near the Cayman Islands.
Hazard Management Cayman Islands (HMCI), the National Weather Service (NWS), and 911 have been working diligently through the night and this morning to monitor the system that is now Tropical Storm Helene.
As of 7:00pm, Grand Cayman has been placed under a Tropical Storm Warning. Tropical storm force winds can be expected within the next 36 hours as the system, currently identified as Potential Tropical Cyclone 9, continues to move north.
Cayman is bracing for tropical storm conditions which are now highly likely by the middle of this week.