Emily Jogs Farther South

Published 17th July, 2:00am

Key Message:

The National Hurricane Committee's 2am advisory has a bit of good news - Hurricane Emily has now jogged a little to the south, which means that the closest point of approach, on its current path, will bring the weather system's centre some 100 miles south of Grand Cayman. As hurricane force winds continue to spread some 60 miles from its centre, this gives Grand Cayman a buffer of some 40 miles from Emily's Category 4 force.

This also means that the earlier forecast strength in winds for Grand Cayman is now projected to reduce to some 50 to 60 mph, with higher gusts. Residents can continue to expect Emily's impact to peak in the early pre-dawn hours.

Emily continues to be an extremely dangerous hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph, still moving at 18 mph, in WNW direction. The high pressure area to the north of the Cayman Islands continues to hold, aiding in keeping Emily to the south of Grand Cayman.

NHC advice to local population: Gusts of up to 40 mph are already being recorded in some areas, so residents should remain in doors and not venture outside.

All residents should understand that emergency personnel will not be dispatched to render assistance due to the onset of tropical storm force winds. Emergency personnel will respond to pending requests once the winds subside tomorrow morning. 9-1-1 will continue to accept calls for assistance and prioritise requests received for attention when weather conditions permit.

Current conditions:

Grand Cayman

Winds: Tropical storm force winds, with some higher gusts

Rain: Sporadic showers

Seas: Already rough

Details of Weather System, at 1 am:

Longitude: 81.2 W

Latitude: 17.7N

Proximity: 110 miles S of Grand Cayman, 167 miles south west of Cayman Brac

Speed of system and direction of movement: 18 mph, WNW

Maximum sustained wind speed: 150 mph, still a strong Category 4

Further Information

The NHC's next update will be issued around 5:00am following the 4:00am advisory from the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

For further information contact: Pat Ebanks