Hurricane Melissa has exploded into a rare Category 5 storm with winds of 165 mph, threatening to unleash devastating impacts on Jamaica and parts of the northern Caribbean.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Monday that Melissa could cause “extensive infrastructure damage” as it nears Jamaica, bringing up to 40 inches of rain, 13 feet of storm surge and 160 mph sustained winds capable of cutting off entire communities.
“This is a life-threatening situation,” the NHC said, urging residents in low-lying and coastal areas to evacuate immediately.
Officials in Jamaica have issued mandatory evacuation orders for vulnerable coastal regions as Melissa churns closer. The storm is expected to make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday — potentially as the strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit the island.
Melissa has already claimed three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, as torrential rains and landslides swept through rural areas over the weekend.
At a press conference at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, government ministers, including Dana Morris Dixon and Desmond McKenzie, provided updates on the storm’s progress and the country’s emergency response.
“We are dealing with a storm of historic proportions,” said Evan Thompson, Jamaica’s principal director of the Meteorological Service. “The focus now is saving lives before the full force of Melissa arrives.”
Meteorologists say Melissa’s transformation over the weekend was “extreme and alarming.” The hurricane’s winds increased by 70 mph in just 24 hours, a phenomenon known as rapid intensification.
Scientists warn that such explosive strengthening is becoming more common as ocean and atmospheric temperatures rise due to fossil fuel pollution. Warmer waters provide more energy for tropical systems, allowing them to intensify faster and hold more moisture — resulting in heavier rainfall and more destructive flooding.
Jamaicans are no strangers to powerful storms, but the island hasn’t seen a hurricane make landfall in 13 years. The last was Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Just last year, Hurricane Beryl passed south of Jamaica as a Category 4, causing deadly floods, destroying homes and crops, and inflicting $1 billion in damage.
Before that, Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 was the last Category 4 or stronger storm to strike the island directly.
Authorities have urged residents to secure homes, stock emergency supplies, and heed evacuation orders. Airports are closing, shelters are opening and power outages are already being reported across southern parishes as outer bands lash the coastline.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness is expected to address the nation later today (Oct. 27).
