Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 4 hurricane and could reach Category 5 strength by Sunday night, bringing torrential rainfall and life-threatening flooding across the northern Caribbean, including Jamaica and Haiti, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).
Melissa is forecast to hit Jamaica’s southern coast late Monday or early Tuesday as a major hurricane. Authorities have urged residents to seek shelter immediately.
“Conditions in Jamaica are going to deteriorate rapidly today,” warned Jamie Rhome, NHC deputy director. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
On Sunday morning, Melissa was located about 110 miles (180 km) south of Kingston and 285 miles (460 km) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, moving west at 5 mph (7 kph) with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph).
The hurricane could dump up to 30 inches (760 mm) of rain on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — encompassing Haiti and the Dominican Republic — with some areas receiving as much as 40 inches (1,010 mm).
Officials warned of widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages, and community isolation across Jamaica.
Melissa is expected to reach Cuba by late Tuesday, bringing up to 12 inches (300 mm) of rainfall before moving toward the Bahamas on Wednesday. A hurricane watch for Cuba could soon be upgraded to a warning.
Airports Closed, Emergency Shelters Activated
The slow-moving storm has already claimed four lives — three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic — with one person still missing.
Jamaica’s government confirmed that Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay would close at midday Sunday, while Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston shut down Saturday night at 9 p.m.
“With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It will just sit there, pouring rain — a major challenge,” said Evan Thompson, principal director of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” added Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management.
Over 650 shelters have been activated across Jamaica, and government warehouses are stocked with thousands of emergency food packages ready for distribution.
Communities Cut Off in Haiti and the Dominican Republic
In Haiti, officials reported three deaths and five injuries after a wall collapse. Rising rivers and flash floods destroyed a bridge in Sainte-Suzanne, while many residents have been reluctant to evacuate.
In the Dominican Republic, Melissa damaged nearly 200 homes, disrupted water supplies for more than 500,000 people, downed trees and traffic lights, and caused several small landslides. More than two dozen communities remain cut off by floodwaters.
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology warned that tropical storm or hurricane conditions could affect the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had forecast an above-normal season, predicting 13 to 18 named storms.
