Monday 27 / October / 2025
Kingston: Jamaica is on high alert for the imminent arrival of Hurricane Melissa, which intensified into a maximum-category Category 5 storm early on Monday. The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warns the system poses a severe threat of catastrophic winds, life-threatening storm surges, and devastating flooding to the island nation.
Authorities have expressed grave concern that Hurricane Melissa could be the most powerful storm on record to make landfall in Jamaica. The hurricane has already been linked to four fatalities on the island of Hispaniola and widespread flooding.
In response to the escalating threat, the Jamaican government has initiated mandatory evacuations for sections of the capital, Kingston, and has declared the entire island to be in a state of threat.
As of a 09:00 GMT NHC advisory, the hurricane was located approximately 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph. Forecasters caution that further intensification is possible within the next 12 to 24 hours. The storm's core is projected to pass near or over Jamaica through tomorrow (Tuesday), before tracking toward southeastern Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas.
A critical factor amplifying the danger is the storm's slow movement, which significantly increases the risk of extreme rainfall. The NHC has projected isolated areas in Jamaica could receive up to 40 inches of rain over the coming days, raising the potential for severe, widespread flooding.
Officials are urgently advising residents in low-lying and flood-prone areas to relocate to designated shelters immediately. The combination of destructive winds, a powerful storm surge, and torrential rainfall is expected to produce life-threatening conditions across Jamaica overnight and into Tuesday.
