Grand Cayman – The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) confirms the Kearney Gomez Doppler Radar has been restored to full working order following repairs conducted by a visiting expert from LEONARDO Germany.

Ministry of Sustainability & Climate Resiliency Chief Officer Jennifer Ahearn says she is pleased the public can once again access live radar images on weather.gov.ky.

“I want to thank the Cayman Islands public for your continued patience as the Weather Service has worked to restore radar service,” Mrs. Ahearn said. “I know it will be a relief to many in our community that they can once again view real-time radar images online. Throughout this process, our meteorologists have continued to provide forecasts for the Cayman Islands and I am pleased they will once again be able to use the radar in support of these efforts.”

CINWS Director General John Tibbetts says the expert technician from LEONARDO Germany was on-island for approximately a week to complete the necessary repairs.

“LEONARDO is the only company in the world that can provide the services and expertise necessary to restore our radar service and I’m pleased to report we were able to facilitate this visit and get the radar back up and running,” he said, noting that additional work to repair the leaking dome and install a dehumidifier are planned for August 2022. 

“Our work is not over and we are continuing our efforts to ensure the dome is sealed and a dehumidifier installed, ahead of what is typically the busiest portion of Atlantic hurricane season for the Cayman Islands,” Mr. Tibbetts said.

Online radar imaging was briefly available on the evening of Wednesday, 13 July, to facilitate testing, and is expected to be restored fully to the Weather Service website on the evening of Thursday, 14 July.

Mrs. Ahearn said the Government will continue to keep the community informed of progress to repair the dome and install the dehumidifier.

“We recognise the significant public interest in the status of the weather radar service and will continue to provide updates on the status of the dome repairs and dehumidifier installation over the coming weeks,” she said.

For more updates, the public is encouraged to visit https://weather.gov.ky/ or contact the Weather Service at [email protected].