Invest 96L strengthened to Tropical Depression 18 to Tropical Storm Rina to Hurricane Rina in just 21 hours and is now forecast to become a major Category 3 hurricane in the northwestern Caribbean Sea. 

As of Monday afternoon, Rina was about 193 miles southwest of Grand Cayman and moving northwest at 5mph.  With the distance between Rina and Grand Cayman increasing, the storm isn’t expected to have a significant impact on the Cayman Islands if it continues along its forecast track. 

However rainy conditions will continue on Grand Cayman until Wednesday, said Cayman Islands National Weather Service Meteorologist Avalon Porter. 

“After that there should be some clearing for a day or so, then we expect more weather to move in,” he said. 

Rina brought nearly 3 inches of rain to Grand Cayman over the weekend and another inch to an inch and a half of rain was expected before Wednesday. 

Although seas remained moderately rough and a small-craft advisory is in effect through Tuesday night, the worst effect of Rina on Grand Cayman was some localised flooding of low-lying areas. 

Mr. Porter said the winds were only forecast to be 10 to 15 knots out of the east-northeast. 

“There could be higher gusts in the showers,” he said. 

Homes and businesses in North Side and East End were without power for more than two hours Monday morning, possibly caused by the rain and winds from Rina. 

The official National Hurricane Center in Miami track forecasts Rina to make landfall as a hurricane on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula near Cozumel on Friday morning, and then head northeast toward the western tip of Cuba.