We are working hard to improve the links between the Weather Service as information providers and members of the public as end users.

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands (12 February, 2018) The Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS) has embarked on an education campaign to help members of the public learn more about the weather service and gain a better understanding of the terms used by forecasters.

The Programme launched at the end of December 2017 with a focus on Cold Fronts, and will continue throughout the year with monthly articles on weather service related topics.

CIWNS Director General John Tibbetts explained that the idea for the public programme stemmed from a meeting held with Dr. Tasha Garcia-Ebanks which aimed to develop a strategic Plan for the National Weather Service. As a result, six (6) strategic areas of focus were identified, one of which was improving public education.

Teams were subsequently established to produce action plans for each area of focus, and progress in each category is being monitored by the Director General.

“The provision of timely, accurate, weather information contributes to the safety and welfare of the public, and provides tremendous benefit to society,” said Mr. Tibbetts. “Though the public has diverse needs, many sectors rely heavily on weather forecasts so we are working hard to improve the links between the weather service as information providers and members of the public as end users. This is particularly important when dealing with extreme weather events such as hurricanes, flash flooding, droughts and the like, which can have a catastrophic impact particularly if residents are unprepared,” he said.

The topic for the month of January was ‘Meteorological Careers’ and speaks about the various specialties and options that exist for meteorologists.

In February the focus shifts to ‘Weather Observing’ and is followed in March by an article on “Weather Radar.”

Topics for subsequent months throughout the year include Climate Change, Weather Warnings, Forecasting Tools and Tropical Waves and Hurricanes.

“The science of meteorology allows forecasters to confidently predict how the weather will change and develop over the coming days and weeks. We would like to take that to the next level by ensuring that members of the public are able to receive full benefit from the information provided,” said Mr. Tibbetts.

The National Weather Service posts daily and weekly weather forecasts on their website and also have a free-to-download app which is available from Apple iTunes for iOS and Google Play for Android.