Sandy heads to Jamaica but rough seas for Cayman

(CNS): At 7am local time this morning Tropical Storm Sandy was located about 95 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica with winds of over 70mph. Travelling at around 14 mph the National Hurricane Centre in Miami said it expected Sandy would become a hurricane before it moves across Jamaica late Wednesday afternoon and evening. Although Sandy poses no direct threat to Cayman local forecasters said very rough seas, fresh winds, overcast skies and thunderstorms are expected over the next 24 hours as the storm, with tropical forces winds extending across 140mph, passes to the east of the Cayman Islands.

Some cloudiness and showers are expected to spread into our area from today through Thursday evening and heavy showers may lead to flooding of some low-lying areas, especially over the Sister Islands between Wednesday and Thursday.  

With fresh to strong east to northeast winds, and very rough seas over the Cayman area a marine warning remains in effect for Cayman. Very rough seas are expected through the next few days with wave heights near 5 to 7 feet from peaking near 9 feet by Thursday with a gradual reduction of wave heights through Sunday. These waves should have significant impact on the east to northeast coasts initially, gradually affecting the northern coasts by tonight and the northwest coasts from tomorrow evening through Sunday.

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