Hurricane Lili may threatenCayman
After wreaking havoc in the Eastern Caribbean,Hurricane Lili is spinning northwards and is expected to passnortheast of the Sister Islands early Sunday morning.
The Sister Islands of Cayman Brac and LittleCayman were placed under a Tropical Storm Watch for Tropical StormLili effective at 10 o'clock Friday night, while Grand Caymanwas under a Tropical Storm Alert, according to a statement fromthe National Hurricane Committee.
Grand Cayman is not currently expected toexperience tropical storm force winds. However the Cayman Bracand Little Cayman are forecast to begin experiencing tropicalstorm force winds of around 45 miles per hour by 8 o'clock onSunday.
At 4 p.m. Friday, the centre of Lili waslocated near 16.9 degrees north, 75.2 west. This put it 125 milessouth east of Kingston, Jamaica; 359 miles south east of CaymanBrac, and 438 miles south east of Grand Cayman. The system ismoving north-west at seven miles per hour, with maximum sustainedwinds of 45 miles per hour.
On its present path and speed, the stormwas projected to be within 36 hours of Cayman Brac and LittleCayman at midnight Friday.
However, the National Hurricane Committeedecided to upgrade the Sister Islands to a Watch at 10 p.m. insteadof waiting until midnight. This was to ensure that all residentsof the Sister Islands were aware of the Watch status, and canbegin their preparations before going to bed. Shelters and coastalgovernment buildings on the Cayman Brac and Little Cayman, aswell as on Grand Cayman have been shuttered.
The National Hurricane Committee urges allresidents to be aware of the potential for changes in the projectionsfor Tropical Storm Lili and to continue to make preparations andto monitor the progress of the storm.
Marine interests should pay close attentionto further announcements and also begin taking precautions.
Residents are reminded that these NHC advisories,and Met Office bulletins, are posted on the government websiteat www.gov.ky . The updates are also available by tuning in tolocal radio stations, including the Cayman weather station atFM107.9, and on television at Cayman27 cable channel 12.You can also get the latest local storm information by callingthe Government Information Services Hotline at 946-3333.
Meantime, Hurricane Kyle continued to plythe Atlantic Ocean 450 miles south-southeast of Bermuda with topsustained winds of 85 mph.
At 11 a.m., Kyle was located near latitude26.9 north, longitude 60.7 west. It was moving west-southwestat 5 mph.