CINWS Director General Statement on World Meteorological Day
John Tibbetts, Director General of the Cayman Islands National Weather Service (CINWS), highlights the importance of World Meteorological Day, commemorating the collective commitment to protecting human life through the disciplined observation of our atmosphere, oceans, and climate.
Each year on 23 March, the world pauses to honour the science and service that stand between communities and catastrophes. World Meteorological Day is an affirmation of our collective commitment to protecting human life through the disciplined observation of our atmosphere, oceans, and climate. This year’s theme, “Observing Today, Protecting Tomorrow,” resonates with particular depth here in the Cayman Islands.
Situated in the northwestern Caribbean, we lie squarely within the Atlantic hurricane belt. Tropical storms, storm surge, flooding rains, and the long-term pressures of a warming climate are not abstract threats in these islands, they are realities that shape our policies, infrastructure and the daily work of our Cayman Islands National Weather Service. We know, viscerally, why the accuracy of a forecast matters and what is at stake when a tropical system approaches our shores.
Today, I speak with genuine pride about the team of dedicated professionals I work with at the Cayman Islands National Weather Service. Our work rarely seeks the spotlight yet underpins virtually every decision made in preparing for and responding to adverse weather. We are at our stations when the rest of the community is securing their shutters. We monitor radar, satellite imagery and forecast models through the night when a system threatens our shores, translating complex atmospheric science into the clear, timely warnings that protect lives across these islands every day of the year.
As World Meteorological Secretary-General Professor Celeste Saulo has reminded the world, “Artificial Intelligence depends on human intelligence.” My colleagues are skilled, experienced professionals who know our coastlines and our vulnerabilities, who turn data into decisions that save lives. To my colleagues – the meteorologists, observers, technicians, and support staff – the community sees your work, values your expertise, and is deeply grateful for your service.
The work of the National Weather Service is woven into the WMO’s integrated global observing system (WIGOS) through which nations share data and expertise so that no community is left without the information it needs. The Cayman Islands is a proud contributor to and beneficiary of that international effort. The observations recorded today are ingested into the latest forecast models and will inform the climate science of the next decade
We are thankful to the Government for investing in the tools, technology and people that make this possible. To our community, when you receive a warning, act on it as the people who issued it have earned that trust.
Together, observing today, protecting tomorrow, we build a resilient Cayman.
