#eyeonMelissa. Credit: Google Maps
Jamaica is bracing for the most powerful hurricane in its modern history as Hurricane Melissa – now a high-end Category 4 storm – barrels slowly toward the island.
The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned on Saturday, October 25, that Melissa “could be the strongest direct landfall for the island since tropical cyclone record keeping has been made in the Atlantic Basin.”
The storm, packing sustained winds near 140 mph (225 km/h), is moving westward at a crawl. Landfall is forecast for late Monday into Tuesday (October 27-28), with the potential to briefly strengthen to Category 5.
Catastrophic flooding and landslides expected across Jamaica
The NHC projects 15–30 inches (380–760 mm) of rain across the island, with isolated totals of up to 40 inches (1 m) in mountainous areas – levels that could unleash life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.
“With these tremendous winds that a Category 4 hurricane could produce that will push the water of the sea onto the shoreline and with it takes houses and communities possibly back into the sea,” said Evan Thompson, Principal Director, Jamaica Meteorological Service, via Jamaica Observer.
The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) has been activated with more than 650 emergency shelters opened nationwide.
- Norman Manley and Sangster International Airports are closed.
- Curfews and transport restrictions are in effect across several parishes.
- Emergency teams remain on high alert, with ODPEM urging residents to “heed all official warnings.”
Although Jamaica lies within the hurricane belt, direct landfalls are rare. Meteorologist Jeff Masters told the Washington Post that Melissa’s slow motion and intense rainfall could produce “a worst-case scenario…”
Haiti and the Dominican Republic also on alert due to Hurricane Melissa
The NOAA warns that Melissa will also impact Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where at least four deaths have already been reported. Heavy rain and landslides are expected through mid-week, likely cutting off communities in mountainous terrain.
Hurricane watches are also in place for south-western Haiti and eastern Cuba, with forecasts showing the system tracking toward the southern Bahamas later this week.
For official updates, visit the NHC Hurricane Melissa page.
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