Getting caught short in an unexpected shower of rain can be a thing of the past thanks to a newly launched Cayman Islands National weather service app. The free-to-download mobile app features a simple interface giving up-to-the-minute updates on weather throughout the day and is available for iOS, blackberry and Android platforms.

“When people are going about their daily business they want a forecast that will indicate possible weather changes in the future,” said National weather service Director General John Tibbetts. “With this in mind, the app gives users three options enabling them to check for either the current weather, current radar or a 5 day forecast. The current weather interface includes the temperature in Fahrenheit or Celsius with universally recognised icons depicting conditions such as sky condition, precipitation or cloudiness.

“The current radar images give the user the options of viewing the 250 miles range, the 150 mile range or the 30 mile range. The 5 day forecast provides information on expected sky conditions, chance of rain, wind speed and direction, sea conditions and times for sunrise and sunset over the next 5 days. Mr Tibbetts explained that the current radar tab provided a graphical image of possible rainfall over and around the Cayman Islands, while the 5 day forecast gave a summarised overview of anticipated weather conditions for the week ahead. During hurricane season or in instances where severe weather is anticipated, the app will also carry marine and flood warnings as well as hurricane warnings to ensure residents can be informed and prepared.

“The weather app is a convenient portal for getting weather information that is specific to the Cayman Islands out to the general public and is intended to service a number of needs,” stated Hon. Moses Kirkconnell, whose portfolio includes the National Weather Service. “As well as enhancing people’s safety both on land and at sea by alerting them of impending weather events, the forecasts also have significant relevance to the aviation industry and can even help to reduce uncertainty when planning ahead for events by allowing time for contingencies to be put in place if needs be.”

The app was developed as part of the Weather Radar Project which gave the Cayman Islands Airports Authority (CIAA) access to US$5.5 million (€4.16 million) from the European

Commission (EC) for the purpose of the installation of an early warning Doppler radar system.

“I am pleased that we have succeeded in channeling our trusted weather data into a format that is truly mobile and accessible from anywhere and I encourage all residents and visitors to download the app,” stated Mr. Tibbetts. “I would like to thank Mr. Fred Sambula, former Director General of the National Weather Service and Mr. Kearney Gomez, former Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Planning for their assistance; as well as the Cayman Islands Airports Authority, the Cabinet Office and the former Ministry of District Administration, Planning, Agriculture and Housing and my coworkers within the Cayman Islands National Weather Service.

Developed by mobile application creators LiveApp, the free National Weather Service app can be downloaded now from blackberry world, Apple iTunes for iOS and Google Play for Android.