Historic Hurricane Approaches Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 175 mph (280 km/h), making it the strongest tropical cyclone of 2025 and the most powerful hurricane ever recorded to threaten Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851. The storm is currently located approximately 150 miles southwest of Kingston and is expected to make landfall early Tuesday morning, bringing catastrophic conditions to the island nation.
Emergency Evacuations Underway
Jamaican authorities have issued mandatory evacuation orders for seven vulnerable communities, including the historic port city of Port Royal near Kingston, Portland Cottage and Rocky Point in Clarendon, Old Harbour Bay in St. Catherine, and Taylor Land, New Haven, and Riverton City in St. Andrew. Prime Minister Andrew Holness invoked powers under the Disaster Risk Management Act, stating 'This is not a drill - we are facing an unprecedented threat to our nation'.
Residents in affected areas have been boarding up windows, stocking emergency supplies, and moving to designated shelters. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management has established multiple evacuation centers across the island, though many residents are reportedly choosing to remain in their homes despite the mandatory orders.
Catastrophic Impacts Expected
The National Hurricane Center warns that Melissa could unleash catastrophic flooding with rainfall totals potentially reaching 40 inches in some areas of Jamaica, along with life-threatening storm surges of 9-13 feet above ground level. The combination of heavy rainfall and mountainous terrain creates extreme landslide risks throughout the island.
Jonathan Porter, Chief Meteorologist at AccuWeather, emphasized the severity: 'This can very quickly become a humanitarian crisis. The island will likely need significant international assistance after the storm passes'.
Regional Impacts Already Felt
Hurricane Melissa has already claimed at least eight lives across the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and two in the Dominican Republic. In the Dominican Republic, the storm has damaged more than 750 homes and displaced over 3,760 people, with access roads to 48 communities completely cut off by flooding.
The situation is particularly dire in Haiti, where the hurricane has destroyed crops in three agricultural regions at a time when more than 5.7 million people - over half the country's population - already face food insecurity and malnutrition.
Rapid Intensification and Path
Melissa underwent extreme rapid intensification, strengthening from a tropical storm to a Category 5 hurricane in just 24 hours, ranking among the five fastest-intensifying storms in the Atlantic since 1975. The storm is moving slowly at 2-5 mph, which increases the duration of destructive conditions.
After impacting Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to strike eastern Cuba on Tuesday night or early Wednesday as a major hurricane, then move through the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos. The storm is not expected to affect the United States directly.
U.S. Air Force Hurricane Hunters have been flying through the storm's eye to collect critical data for forecasting, while the United Nations has prepared emergency aid packages for affected nations, including $4 million allocated specifically for Cuba.
Sources: Weather.com, ABC News, Jamaica Information Service