Tropical Depression #16 has formed in the northwest Caribbean, resulting in a tropical storm warning for the Cayman Islands.

As of 10am, the cyclone was located at 20.6N, 82.5W, or about 116 miles northwest of Grand Cayman. It was moving north-northeast at 10 mph and is expected to continue on that track and make landfall in Cuba later today.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami noted that the cyclone was already close to tropical storm strength, with maximum sustained winds of 35 mph.  Should those winds reach 39 miles per hour, the cyclone would be designated Tropical Storm Nicole.

Even though the storm is moving away from Grand Cayman, the weather is expected to remain bad through Wednesday.

“It should be noted that the strongest winds and heaviest rains associated with this system are occurring well to the southeast of the centre,” the Hurricane Center stated in its advisory. “If this structure persists, the track of the centre will be relatively unimportant since significant impacts will be confined to the eastern portion of the circulation.”

Hazard Management Cayman Islands issued a bulletin on the storm just before 10:30am.

“The Cayman are can expect overcast, rainy weather with periods of heavy torrential rainfall,” the bulletin stated. “Rainfall model predictions indicate that another three to four inches are likely during the next 24 hours. Flooding of low-lying areas is expected and residents should take necessary precautions.”

The Cayman Islands National Weather Service stated that it had recorded 4.05 inches of rain between 7pm Monday night and 7am Tuesday.

Strong southwesterly winds and rough seas are expected to continue to affect Grand Cayman, especially along the south and west coasts, through Thursday.  The Weather Service stated that all marine crafts should seek safe harbor and remain there until further notice.