Hurricane Melissa has ‘components to be a catastrophic storm’, professional warns
Liz Stephens, professor in local weather dangers and resilience at College of Studying, said:
Having now intensified to Class 5, slow-moving Hurricane Melissa has all of the components to be a catastrophic storm, with devastating storm-surge, excessive winds and unusually excessive rainfall accumulations.
“Communities in Jamaica might want to put together for doubtlessly unimaginable impacts, and with local weather change fuelling stronger storms with increased rainfall totals, this can be a stark instance for different nations as to what could also be in retailer for them,” Stephens added.
Key occasions
Hanna Mcleod, a 23-year-old lodge receptionist within the Jamaican capital of Kingston, mentioned she should work through the hurricane, however that her husband and brother will likely be at her home, the place they boarded the home windows and she or he left candles and flashlights scattered all through.
“I simply advised them to maintain the door closed,” she advised the Related Press. “I’m undoubtedly nervous. That is truly the primary time I’ll be experiencing one of these hurricane.”
Mcleod mentioned she purchased her favourite canned meals, corned beef, however that different members of her household favor mackerel, “so I acquired lots of these.”
Natricia Duncan
On Sunday, Jamaica’s prime minister Andrew Holness mentioned that the nation has a sound technique to make sure speedy restoration from the storm.
As he reiterated the intense nature of the menace and urged individuals to heed life-saving recommendation to hunt shelter and evacuate probably the most threatened space, he requested the predominantly Christian nation to hope.
“Attain out to your neighbour, examine on the aged, examine on individuals with disabilities, and anybody who might need assistance. That’s who we’re, a individuals who dwell by the precept, each, assist one. Whereas we should put together for the worst, allow us to additionally pray for the most effective. In each adversity, we now have discovered energy, not solely in our resilience, however within the energy of prayer.
“Wherever you’re, I encourage you to assemble your loved ones and pray for defense, for calm, and for one another, trusting that God, who has seen Jamaica by way of each storm, will carry us safely by way of this one too.
“My Jamaican household, we’ll climate this storm, and when the sky is obvious, we’ll come collectively to revive and construct stronger, prouder, and extra resilient than earlier than. Maintain protected everybody, might God bless you, shield your households, and preserve protected our beloved Jamaica land we love,” he mentioned.
Natricia Duncan
Thompson additionally blamed the speedy intensification of the hurricane to local weather change.
He mentioned: “Shifting from a class one hurricane to a class 4 and presumably changing into a class 5 hurricane by the point we undergo tonight. That’s one thing that may not at all times occur and that is often indicative of the type of heat waters that we’re experiencing that we imagine is considerably associated to local weather change.
“We will’t attribute the whole lot to local weather change however lots of the issues that we’re seeing with the blow up of the system and it occurring extra steadily from 12 months to 12 months, I feel is an effective signal that one thing is altering with our local weather and it’s fairly probably due to a few of the actions that we as people are engaged in,” he mentioned.
Listed below are some extra images from Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island:
An individual appears to be like on the sea as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Port Royal, Jamaica, October 27, 2025. {Photograph}: Octavio Jones/Reuters
Palm timber sway within the wind as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Port Royal, Jamaica, October 27, 2025. {Photograph}: Octavio Jones/Reuters
Natricia Duncan
Principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson has been warning that it’s probably that no a part of Jamaica will likely be spared from the consequences of the monster hurricane, whose lethal mixture of speedy intensification and snail-paced development is a recipe for a catastrophic, record-breaking pure catastrophe.
“If it continues as projected when it comes to the flip towards the island we must always due to this fact on Tuesday search for the hurricane drive winds beginning to affect southern coastal areas after which progressively spreading because the system strikes nearer to the shoreline. Then we may have intense bathe exercise surrounding the attention – so primarily within the western a part of the island and lengthening over central parish as nicely,” he mentioned.
He expects the centre to be off the northern shoreline on Wednesday and to begin to transfer away however the rainfall ought to proceed over a lot of the island, he mentioned.
Thompson mentioned that it’s too quickly to say that slow-moving, intense hurricanes is an rising development within the Caribbean.
“It occurred with hurricane Dorian in 2019 and others the place we had programs sluggish to a halt. “This one actually has been transferring so slowly for a very long time however I don’t imagine it’s a development, (it’s) simply how this example has turned out.”
Dorian had reached document wind velocity of 185 mph, inflicting billions of {dollars} price of destruction within the Bahamas and claiming 78 lives, with at the least 282 individuals who have been by no means accounted for, based on the United Nations Workplace for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
Natricia Duncan
On Saturday the Guardian spoke with residents in Port Royal, a small fishing village in Kingston. Earlier than a 1692 earthquake submerged most of it, it was one of many greatest cities within the Caribbean. Immediately, it’s thought-about one of the hurricane susceptible communities and is on the obligatory evacuation record.
However residents mentioned they have been assured they have been ready to face the hurricane and didn’t wish to transfer as a result of they don’t really feel protected in shelters, the place their belongings may very well be stolen and girls have been in danger.
The Guardian has additionally heard, however has not been in a position to affirm, that folks have turned as much as shelters that have been purported to be activated however discovered that they have been closed.
“I feel lots of these residents want an assurance that there’s going to be some type of watch over their properties, their belongings. They don’t wish to depart and are available again and may’t discover it and I imagine that’s one of many principal issues is the attachment they’ve.
“So if we are able to guarantee them that there will likely be programs in place to make sure they don’t undergo that type of consequence I feel extra can be inspired to maneuver,” principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson advised the Guardian.
Thompson has been warning that it’s probably that no a part of Jamaica will likely be spared from the consequences of the monster hurricane, whose lethal mixture of speedy intensification and snail-paced development is a recipe for a catastrophic, record-breaking pure catastrophe.
Right here is an up to date satellite tv for pc picture of the hurricane’s attainable route:
Hurricane Melissa has ‘components to be a catastrophic storm’, professional warns
Liz Stephens, professor in local weather dangers and resilience at College of Studying, said:
Having now intensified to Class 5, slow-moving Hurricane Melissa has all of the components to be a catastrophic storm, with devastating storm-surge, excessive winds and unusually excessive rainfall accumulations.
“Communities in Jamaica might want to put together for doubtlessly unimaginable impacts, and with local weather change fuelling stronger storms with increased rainfall totals, this can be a stark instance for different nations as to what could also be in retailer for them,” Stephens added.
As we mentioned in an earlier post, class 5 is the best class on the Saffir-Simpson scale, which suggests sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph).
Hurricane Melissa can be the strongest hurricane in recorded historical past to instantly hit Jamaica, based on Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather.
Some areas in japanese Jamaica might see as much as 40 inches (1 metre) of rain whereas western Haiti might get 16 inches (40 centimetres), based on the hurricane centre.
“Catastrophic flash flooding and quite a few landslides are probably,” it warned.
Necessary evacuations have been ordered in seven flood-prone communities in Jamaica, with buses ferrying individuals to protected shelter.
The slow-moving storm has killed at the least three individuals in Haiti and a fourth particular person within the Dominican Republic, the place one other particular person stays lacking.
“I wish to urge Jamaicans to take this critically,” mentioned Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Catastrophe Threat Administration Council.
“Don’t gamble with Melissa. It’s not a protected wager.”
Natricia Duncan
There may be an eerie calm in New Kingston, Jamaica, as residents get up to the information that quickly intensifying Melissa has been upgraded to the best attainable class of the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, which suggests sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph).
The trendy business district, which homes company headquarters, authorities places of work and embassies, together with the British Excessive Fee, has thus far been quiet, aside from sporadic bursts of rain and reasonable wind.
However we all know what’s coming. Every terrifying replace guarantees Jamaica never-before skilled ranges of destruction with copious quantities of rains, life-threatening flash floods and winds that would demolish total buildings.
In different elements of the island the consequences are already being felt. Over in Treasure Seashore, St Elizabeth, a first-rate vacationer spot, it’s already extraordinarily windy. The parish was one which bore the brunt of Hurricane Beryl, which triggered historic ranges of destruction to St Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada and Jamaica final 12 months. Some individuals within the parish have solely only in the near past accomplished work on their properties and are nonetheless traumatised from the wrath of Beryl.
The primary concern for officers is getting individuals in coastal, low-lying, flood-prone, uncovered and different susceptible areas into the virtually 900 shelters activated.
In Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three areas, together with 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize at a time when at the least 5.7 million individuals, greater than half of the nation’s inhabitants, is experiencing disaster ranges of starvation, with 1.9 million of these dealing with emergency ranges of starvation.
The poorest nation within the Americas, Haiti has lengthy suffered by the hands of violent legal gangs in opposition to a backdrop of persistent political instability.
The scenario has worsened considerably since early 2024, when gangs drove then-prime minister, Ariel Henry, to resign. The nation, which has not held elections since 2016, has since been led by a transitional presidential council.
The storm already has dropped heavy rain within the Dominican Republic, the place colleges and authorities places of work have been ordered to stay closed on Monday in 4 of 9 provinces nonetheless beneath purple alert.
Melissa broken greater than 750 houses throughout the nation, displacing greater than 3,760 individuals, based on the Related Press. Flood waters even have reduce entry to at the least 48 communities, officers mentioned.
For those who’ve been affected by Hurricane Melissa, we’d like to listen to from you if it’s protected so that you can get in contact:
After passing over Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa is predicted to maneuver north and cross over japanese Cuba tomorrow night, earlier than heading throughout the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
Melissa may very well be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has skilled in a long time, mentioned Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service.
He warned that cleanup and harm evaluation can be severely delayed due to anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.
Melissa is the thirteenth named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which generally runs from June to November.
‘Many communities won’t survive the flooding,’ official says as Hurricane Melissa barrels in the direction of Jamaica
My colleagues Natricia Duncan and Anthony Lugg have some particulars concerning the recommendation officers are giving to residents in Jamaica in anticipation of Melissa and clarify why this hurricane is predicted to be so highly effective. Right here is an extract from their story, which was written with the assistance of stories company reporting:
Throughout a press convention in Kingston on Sunday, Jamaican authorities mentioned each worldwide airports have been closed and 881 shelters had been activated.
“Many of those communities won’t survive the flooding,” mentioned Desmond McKenzie, the minister of native authorities. “Kingston is extraordinarily low. No group in Kingston is immune.”
Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, later ordered necessary evacuation orders for Port Royal in Kingston and 6 different susceptible areas throughout the nation together with Outdated Harbour Bay …
The mix of speedy intensification and snail-paced development is a recipe for a catastrophic, record-breaking pure catastrophe, consultants mentioned.
In its more and more grim updates, the hurricane centre warned that in depth harm to infrastructure, energy and communication outages and the isolation of communities in Jamaica have been to be anticipated.
The slow-moving storm has already killed at the least three individuals in Haiti and one particular person within the Dominican Republic, the place one other particular person stays lacking.
Hurricane Melissa strengthens to class 5 because it strikes in the direction of Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa has intensified to a Class 5 storm because it nears Jamaica, bringing the potential of life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.
A class 5 hurricane is the strongest sort, with winds of at the least 157mph.
On Monday, the US Nationwide Hurricane Heart reported that the hurricane is predicted to make landfall on the island on Tuesday, bringing damaging winds and as much as 30 inches of rain.
The US Nationwide Hurricane Centre mentioned Melissa was then anticipated to achieve Cuba on Tuesday night time and head throughout the south-eastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
Over the weekend, the Cuban authorities issued a hurricane look ahead to the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin.
The hurricane centre urged Jamaicans to hunt shelter instantly, with its deputy director warning: “Circumstances [in Jamaica] are going to go down quickly in the present day. Be able to trip this out for a number of days.”
The federal government later ordered necessary evacuation orders for Port Royal in Kingston and 6 different susceptible areas throughout the island together with Outdated Harbour Bay.
Melissa was anticipated to drop as much as 30 inches (76cm) of rain on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola – Haiti and the Dominican Republic – based on the hurricane centre.
Some areas may even see as a lot as 40 inches (1 metre). Intensive harm to infrastructure, energy and communication outages may very well be anticipated.
Stick with us as we deliver you the newest updates.
