Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 hurricane, bringing fierce 185 mph winds, heavy rain and flooding, life-threatening storm surge, and power outages.Hurricane Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record and is the most intense storm to hit Jamaica since records began being kept 174 years ago.As of early Wednesday morning, the hurricane was bearing down on Cuba, and videos of the storm’s intensity and the damage it had caused in Jamaica have been emerging. Here is a look at some of that footage. Police station turned into a shelter in a hard-hit area of JamaicaCNN reports that a police station in Jamaica’s southwestern city of Black River has been turned into a temporary shelter amid reports of extensive damage. Video from Jamaica Constabulary Force shows some of the damage. See the video in the player above.“The Black River Police Station has become a refuge for residents whose houses have been flooded,” Jamaica’s Constabulary Force posted on X Tuesday. “We are sticking close to the community as we weather Hurricane Melissa together,” the force added.In the player below: Video released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force shows police in Black River surveying damageStrong nighttime winds in JamaicaKingston, Jamaica, was experiencing difficult weather conditions into the night on Tuesday amid Hurricane Melissa.Heavy rain in Kingston Downtown Kingston, Jamaica, saw heavy rain after Hurricane Melissa made landfall.Flooding in St. Thomas, JamaicaSt. Thomas, Jamaica, saw heavy flooding, and TVJ in Jamaica and CNN were reporting that residents were being urged to remain cautious as rising waters continued to pose a flooding risk in the area.Strong winds hit St. JamesSt. James, Jamaica, saw heavy winds ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Melissa____CNN contributed to this report
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a monstrous Category 5 hurricane, bringing fierce 185 mph winds, heavy rain and flooding, life-threatening storm surge, and power outages.
Hurricane Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record and is the most intense storm to hit Jamaica since records began being kept 174 years ago.
As of early Wednesday morning, the hurricane was bearing down on Cuba, and videos of the storm’s intensity and the damage it had caused in Jamaica have been emerging. Here is a look at some of that footage.
Police station turned into a shelter in a hard-hit area of Jamaica
CNN reports that a police station in Jamaica’s southwestern city of Black River has been turned into a temporary shelter amid reports of extensive damage. Video from Jamaica Constabulary Force shows some of the damage. See the video in the player above.
“The Black River Police Station has become a refuge for residents whose houses have been flooded,” Jamaica’s Constabulary Force posted on X Tuesday. “We are sticking close to the community as we weather Hurricane Melissa together,” the force added.
In the player below: Video released by the Jamaica Constabulary Force shows police in Black River surveying damage
Strong nighttime winds in Jamaica
Kingston, Jamaica, was experiencing difficult weather conditions into the night on Tuesday amid Hurricane Melissa.
Heavy rain in Kingston
Downtown Kingston, Jamaica, saw heavy rain after Hurricane Melissa made landfall.
Flooding in St. Thomas, Jamaica
St. Thomas, Jamaica, saw heavy flooding, and TVJ in Jamaica and CNN were reporting that residents were being urged to remain cautious as rising waters continued to pose a flooding risk in the area.
Strong winds hit St. James
St. James, Jamaica, saw heavy winds ahead of the landfall of Hurricane Melissa
KINGSTON, Jamaica — Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa came ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported as Melissa hit with 185 mph winds near New Hope, with officials cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment could be slow.
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By JOHN MYERS JR. and DÁNICA COTO – Associated Press
CHICAGO (WLS) — Jamaicans told ABC7 they have seen hurricanes before, but they have never been the direct target of the eye of a storm in their lifetime. But, they say, they have recovered before, and they will recover again.
“Oh, the wind is picking up so bad!” said Danielle Strachan, who lives in Jamaica.
Strachan is sitting in the front row to the devastation in the country she calls home.
“Utter disbelief, a Category 5? Category 3, maybe Category 2, but a Category 5 in this country, everybody’s in shock,” Strachan said.
Fortunately, her home in Montego Bay, Jamaica, is not sitting directly in the flood zones of Hurricane Melissa, but her aunt’s home is.
“I’m a bit worried about her. I haven’t heard from her, and I don’t know what’s going on down there,” Strachan said. “I’ve gotten more information from my family abroad than I’ve gotten here.”
Strachan’s family in Chicago is among many that are watching and waiting to hear if their loved ones are OK.
DePaul University student Taja Bryan last heard from her father, who lives in Jamaica, on Monday morning.
“It’s a lot of anxiety. I just wish I can know how they were doing, but I truly like I said, I can’t get in contact with them, so that’s just something I can… it’s out of my control, unfortunately,” Bryan said.
Her father and other relatives live in a mountainous region prone to mudslides in homes not built for extreme weather.
“It’s huts. It’s not like, you know, brick stone buildings like this, so it’s like if mudslides occur and extreme winds and heavy rainfall occurs, they don’t have anywhere to protect themselves,” Bryan said.
Meanwhile, the Jamaican Consulate is preparing to provide the resources needed.
“We’re really concerned about the overall infrastructure, hospitals and power to hospitals and to schools and to other institutions,” said Honorary Consul to Jamaica Lester Barclay.
Barclay says their phones have been ringing off the hook. They are asking for things like generators, water, and clothing to be donated.
As aid is pouring in, others are trying to get out. In an interview with ABC7’s Samantha Chatman, a woman from Romeoville, who is struck abroad with her husband, says there is no leaving.
“I’m trying to let everybody know back from home that we are here and we are stranded. But I hope that we have the opportunity to get home as soon as possible,” said Andrews, who traveled to Jamaica for a wedding.
The damaging winds and flooding rains unleashed by Melissa are like nothing Mark and Jatonya Harris have experienced before.
“The trees were bending almost over to the ground. A couple of them I don’t think are going to survive,” Jatonya said. “I have never seen anything like this, ever, and I hope never to do again.”
The couple from south suburban Matteson is in Montego Bay for their 41st wedding anniversary, and with the storm raging outside, they pushed their hotel couch against the window and have been sleeping in the bathroom.
“It’s almost like, is this really happening? Is this really happening?” Jatonya said. “I never thought, like, when we were moving the couch over, like this is wild.”
The Harris’ do not know when they will make it home, but they are more concerned about the locals.
“I don’t know what tomorrow is going to bring,” Jatonya said. “I’m praying for the people of Jamaica. This is a horrible, horrible thing that is happening.”
But Jamaicans told ABC7 they have weathered bad storms before, and the country’s resilience and beauty always triumphs.
“After this is done, we’ll come back stronger,” Strachan said. “Put it on your bucket list. If you haven’t been here, you cannot die and not see Jamaica.”
The Jamaican Consulate for Chicago and Midwest says monetary donations are the most helpful but will create a drop-off location for physical items.
The Rio Cobre overflows its banks near St. Catherine, Jamaica, on October 28, 2025, as Hurricane Melissa tore into the island.
RICARDO MAKYN
AFP via Getty Images
When catastrophic Hurricane Dorian became the strongest storm ever to hit The Bahamas six years ago, submerging the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama under floodwaters, the U.S. government was among the most generous of responders.
Washington, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, deployed search-and-rescue teams, airlifted over 50 metric tons of critical relief supplies from a warehouse in Miami and dispatched a disaster team. The $33 million response included seaplanes the humanitarian agency chartered to ferry responders and visiting lawmakers to the devastation.
That was during the first Trump administration — before USAID was dismantled.
Now, as Hurricane Melissa threatens Cuba, the southern Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands after battering Jamaica with 185 mph winds and torrential rains on Tuesday, people re bracing not only for the storm’s aftermath, but also for the stark reality of recovering without the safety net that USAID once provided.
The scale of support seen after Dorian will almost certainly not be repeated this year.
“My fear after this hurricane passes is that that’s only going to be the tip of the iceberg. Food, water, shelter. If all of that is disrupted, then it’s going to take time to put it back in place. And USAID was that safety net in the past,” said Andy Ingraham, a prominent Fort Lauderdale businessman who serves as president of The Bahamas Diaspora Association and is president and founder of the National Association of Black Hotel Owners, Operators & Developers.
A man looks at a fallen tree in St. Catherine, Jamaica, on October 28, 2025, as ferocious winds and torrential rain from Hurricane Melissa tore into Jamaica. RICARDO MAKYN AFP via Getty Images
Miami Democratic U.S. Rep. Frederica Wilson, who helped secure American assistance after Dorian, told the Miami Herald that with USAID’s dismantling, “there is real uncertainty about whether help will come,” in the aftermath of Melissa.
“I have consistently opposed efforts by the administration to gut USAID. The administration must be ready to fill any gaps and move resources immediately to support Jamaica and other affected nations,” she said. “In Congress, I stand ready to approve the funds required to help them recover.”
Ahead of Melissa’s landfall on the southwestern coast of Jamaica on Tuesday, Caribbean emergency responders said they were awaiting to hear from the U.S. government about what will take the place of USAID.
The storm is the first major natural disaster to hit the region since the Trump administration dismantled USAID earlier this year. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the agency’s functions would be absorbed by the State Department.
The Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration was given the responsibility for international disaster relief. But much of the staff in that bureau was later laid off.
The White House referred an inquiry about its plan for hurricane assistance to the State Department.
A spokesperson for the department said there won’t be a decision on aid deployment “until a need is identified.”
“The State Department maintains warehouses around the world from which we can distribute lifesaving aid in the aftermath of natural disasters,” a State Department spokesperson told The Miami Herald. “The department has pre-positioned emergency relief supplies in six warehouses that will allow for the distribution of emergency relief supplies to people affected by the storm.”
Residents evacuate under pouring rain from Playa Siboney to safe locations ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Tuesday. YAMIL LAGE AFP via Getty Images
A former senior official at USAID said that agency would act as a lead and coordinate the U.S. government response during these disasters.
“When you see a storm of this scale, it is so large and so devastating that it really can overwhelm the capacity of the government. Historically, a country like Jamaica has been able to count on U.S. support,” the official said.
Typically, staff at USAID would start hurricane preparations in June, which included meeting with local officials, building networks between Caribbean nations, and conducting exercises with the U.S. military to help with logistical needs.
These systems, which are now very frayed, “helped save lives and reduce the cost of these emergencies.”
Some USAID staff with hurricane response experience were folded into the State Department but, the official added, “they are very buried in bureaucracy and don’t have the partner networks, tools and resources they would have at USAID.”
Other Democrats on Capitol Hill have expressed concern.
Gregory Meeks, the ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Joaquin Castro, ranking member of the Western Hemisphere Subcommittee, and Yvette D. Clarke said on Monday, the U.S. “must stand with Jamaica and the entire Caribbean before, during, and after Hurricane Melissa makes landfall.”
A congressional aide later told the Herald/McClatchy newspapers that while it makes sense for the U.S. government to evaluate the need immediately after the hurricane’s landfall, lawmakers have had no information on whether the State Department has pre-positioned any supplies or resources like boats.
“We haven’t been briefed yet by State on the disaster response setup, so we don’t really know the details of how many staff they have available, what kind of advanced planning they’re doing,” the aide said.
One source familiar with the situation said Jamaica has requested support from the United States.
“We understand that State has activated a Disaster Assistance Response team and plans to deploy staff to the Dominican Republic, Bahamas and Jamaica,” the person said. “We do not know whether supplies were pre-positioned or what resources have been made available for the response.”
The Trump administration has been much more selective in deciding what disaster it responds to. In August, for example, the administration sent no aid after an earthquake in Afghanistan.
Amid the questions about the U.S humanitarian response, the United Nations and non-governmental organizations have been touting their readiness to respond, not just in Jamaica but in Haiti — where three people died before Melissa reached hurricane strength — and in Cuba. Melissa was expected to make landfall Tuesday night or Wednesday morning in the eastern part of the island.
Working the phones
Ingraham, who is Bahamian, said he is concerned about the region not being able to rely on USAID in the way countries have been accustomed to. However, he believes the U.S. government will “do something to help in the region as great partners.”
“The fact that they have a lot of assets in the Caribbean now, I’m sure some of those may be directed to help Jamaica, The Bahamas and some of the other islands that have been impacted,” he said, referring to warships the U.S. has deployed to the southern Caribbean to combat narco-trafficking.
Small island nations have neither the infrastructure nor the money to withstand the devastation from a major hurricane, Ingraham said.
“For us in the Caribbean, it’s not a good time. The only salvation that we have, quite frankly, is the private sector,” he added.
On Tuesday, as Melissa tore off rooftops in the Jamaican communities of Westmoreland and Black River, and drenched agriculture farmland under floodwaters, Ingraham began working the phone, asking contacts if they could spare airplanes to begin evacuations from the southern Bahamas. Among them was Fort Lauderdale based Tropic Ocean Airways, which dispatched one of its seaplanes. Other companies helped with fuel, and the Bahamian government removed bureaucratic red tape to get the help to the islands.
“I think we go back to the same old adage,” Ingraham said. “We’ve got to plan for the hurricane instead of reacting to the hurricane. We’ve been down this road…. We understand hurricanes. They’re going to come, they’re going to drop a lot of rain, they’re going to have a lot of wind damage. We just need to plan, if we got to evacuate people, let’s plan in advance. If we need assets, let’s organize those assets so they’ll be ready at a moment’s notice.”
Miami Herald staff writers Antonio María Delgadoand David Goodhue contributed to this report.
This story was originally published October 28, 2025 at 8:42 PM.
Jacqueline Charles has reported on Haiti and the English-speaking Caribbean for the Miami Herald for over a decade. A Pulitzer Prize finalist for her coverage of the 2010 Haiti earthquake, she was awarded a 2018 Maria Moors Cabot Prize — the most prestigious award for coverage of the Americas.
Hurricane Melissa is now a Category 4 storm moving northeast over Jamaica. Aretha Taylor, a part-time resident of the island riding out the storm in Ocho Rios, joins “The Takeout” to describe what conditions are like.
Hurricane Melissa downgraded to Category 4 as it moves over Jamaica – CBS News
Watch CBS News
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Hurricane Melissa to a Category 4 storm after it made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon as a Category 5. CBS News meteorologist Zoe Mintz has the latest.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday as one of the strongest hurricanes on record in the Atlantic basin. The Category 5 storm made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope with estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and an estimated minimum central pressure of 892 millibars, the National Hurricane Center said in a 10 a.m. update. To put this in historical context, Hurricane Melissa ties with three storms as the strongest overall based on winds. It ties for the third strongest landfalling storm based on minimum central pressure.Below are the Top 5 storms for each category.By minimum central pressure:1. Hurricane Wilma (2005) lowest pressure 882 millibars2. Hurricane Gilbert (1988) lowest pressure 888 millibars3. Hurricane Melissa (2025) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) lowest pressure 892 millibars4. Hurricane Milton (2024) and Hurricane Rita (2005) lowest pressure 895 millibars5. Hurricane Allen (1980) lowest pressure 899 millibarsBy peak winds at landfall:1. Hurricane Melissa (2025), Hurricane Dorian (2019), Labor Day Hurricane (1935) 185 mph2. Hurricane Irma (2017) 180 mph3. Hurricane Janet (1955) 175 mph4. Hurricane Camille (1969) 175 mph5. Hurricane Anita (1977) 175 mphSee more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel
The Category 5 storm made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope with estimated maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and an estimated minimum central pressure of 892 millibars, the National Hurricane Center said in a 10 a.m. update.
To put this in historical context, Hurricane Melissa ties with three storms as the strongest overall based on winds. It ties for the third strongest landfalling storm based on minimum central pressure.
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Hurricane Melissa is among the strongest hurricanes to have formed in the Atlantic Ocean since records were kept, ranking as one the most powerful storms in terms of both wind strength and pressure.
The storm that formed last week was an “extremely dangerous” Category 5 hurricane as it made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
With maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, Melissa was tied with four storms for the strongest winds.
Those storms are Hurricane Dorian in 2019, Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, Hurricane Wilma in 2005 and a 1935 storm known as the Labor Day hurricane, before storms were named the way they are now.
Hurricane Allen in 1980 had the strongest winds, recorded at 190 mph.
A hurricane’s strength is also measured by its pressure, measured in millibars. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, hurricanes typically get stronger as their pressure decreases.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Melissa had a minimum central pressure of 892 millibars.
Only Gilbert and Wilma were ahead of Melissa. Wilma recorded a minimum sea level pressure of 882 millibars, and Gilbert had a minimum central pressure of 888 millibars.
A satellite view shows Hurricane Melissa, over the Caribbean Sea, Oct. 27, 2025.
Hurricane Melissa is hours away from making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm with winds now at 180 mph, making it one of the strongest storms in recorded history based on low central pressure.WESH 2’s award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring Melissa as it continues to churn. Melissa is moving north-northeast at about 7 mph, with its center about 50 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.The storm has a minimum central pressure of 896 mb as of the National Hurricane Center’s 9 a.m. Tuesday advisory update. Catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge are expected on the island today, according to the NHC. Watches and warnings in effect:Hurricane warning in effect for JamaicaHurricane warning in effect for Cuban provinces of Granma, Guantanamo and Holguin, Santiago de Cuba.Hurricane warning for the Southeastern and Central Bahamas. Hurricane watch in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.Tropical storm warning in effect for Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cuban province of Las Tunas.RainMelissa is expected to bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of 6 to 12 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday.Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely.For eastern Cuba, storm total rainfall of 10 to 20 inches, with local amounts of 25 inches, is expected by Monday into Wednesday resulting in life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides.Over the Southeast Bahamas, total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected Tuesday into Wednesday, resulting in areas of flash flooding.Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
Hurricane Melissa is hours away from making landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm with winds now at 180 mph, making it one of the strongest storms in recorded history based on low central pressure.
Melissa is moving north-northeast at about 7 mph, with its center about 50 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
The storm has a minimum central pressure of 896 mb as of the National Hurricane Center’s 9 a.m. Tuesday advisory update.
Catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge are expected on the island today, according to the NHC.
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Watches and warnings in effect:
Hurricane warning in effect for Jamaica
Hurricane warning in effect for Cuban provinces of Granma, Guantanamo and Holguin, Santiago de Cuba.
Hurricane warning for the Southeastern and Central Bahamas.
Hurricane watch in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Tropical storm warning in effect for Haiti, the Turks and Caicos Islands and the Cuban province of Las Tunas.
Rain
Melissa is expected to bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of 6 to 12 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday.
Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely.
For eastern Cuba, storm total rainfall of 10 to 20 inches, with local amounts of 25 inches, is expected by Monday into Wednesday resulting in life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides.
Over the Southeast Bahamas, total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected Tuesday into Wednesday, resulting in areas of flash flooding.
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago.The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said.Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage.“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow.A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, “and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place.”The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Jamaica braces for catastrophic damageMelissa was centered about 115 miles southwest of Kingston and about 290 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and was moving north-northeast at 5 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.“We will get through it together,” said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service.Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities.“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening,” he said. “There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly.“Every drop will count,” he said.Melissa takes aim at CubaMelissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane.A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
PORT ROYAL, Kingston Parish —
Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since record-keeping began 174 years ago.
The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said.
Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, “and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place.”
The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
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Jamaica braces for catastrophic damage
Melissa was centered about 115 miles southwest of Kingston and about 290 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and was moving north-northeast at 5 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
“We will get through it together,” said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service.
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities.
“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening,” he said. “There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly.
“Every drop will count,” he said.
Melissa takes aim at Cuba
Melissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.
Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.
The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Kingston, Jamaica — Hurricane Melissa was about to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.
The storm was expected to make landfall early Tuesday and slice diagonally across the island, entering near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exiting around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said.
Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage.
“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”
Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow.
Melissa is expected to bring 15 to 30 inches of rain to areas of Jamaica and 6 to 12 inches to southern Hispaniola (the island split into Haiti and the Dominican Republic) through Wednesday, with a total of 40 inches possible in some places, the hurricane center said. “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” the center stressed.
People take shelter in a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, on Oct. 27, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
For eastern Cuba, total rainfall could reach 10 to 20 inches, with as much as 25 inches in some spots from Monday into Wednesday, which could result in “life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides,” the center added.
And total rainfall of 5 to 10 inches is expected today into Wednesday on the southeastern Bahamas, resulting in areas of flash flooding.
A life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor “and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place.”
The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person was missing.
A fisherman ties boats in preparation for the forecast arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica, on Oct. 27, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
Melissa was centered about 135 miles southwest of Kingston and about 310 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The system had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, well above the minimum 157 mph needed for it to reach the top of the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. It was moving north-northeast at 2 mph, according to the hurricane center.
“We will get through it together,” said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service.
Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based near Kingston, said most families are sheltering in place despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone communities.
“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening,” he said. “There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”
Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s water and environment minister, said he had more than 50 generators available to deploy after the storm, but warned people to set aside clean water and use it sparingly.
“Every drop will count,” he said.
Melissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain was forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
Cuban officials said Monday that they were evacuating more than 600,000 people from the region, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city.
Melissa also has drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.
The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.
A hurricane warning was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas, and a tropical storm warning was issued for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The U.S. State Department issued natural disaster travel alerts for Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti and the Bahamas on Monday, urging U.S. citizens to consider leaving while flights were still available, or be prepared to shelter in place.
And CBS News confirmed that a Hurricane Hunters aircraft from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was forced on Monday to abort its mission when it experienced “severe turbulence” in the storm’s southwestern eyewall.
JAMAICA (WABC) — A family from Long Island, who owns a resort in Jamaica, is racing against time to prepare for Hurricane Melissa, a storm forecasted to have a catastrophic impact on the Caribbean island.
Freeport, Long Island native Winthrop Wellington is running out of time to protect his family-owned beach resort, and its 30 stranded hotel guests and staff along the famous seven-mile beach in Negril, Jamaica.
Wellington is the owner of Travellers Beach Resort.
“I have an eerie feeling that it was going to change Jamaica forever,” he said.
Melissa, a historic Category 5 hurricane, will soon make landfall, with Negril in its bullseye.
“We don’t know how long the power’s going to be out because the power’s going to go out,” Wellington said. “There’s no question about that. I don’t know if we’re going to have enough water. We don’t know what the roads are going to be like.”
Kemberly Richardson and Meteorologist Lee Goldberg has the latest.
Born and raised on Long Island, Wellington and his two younger brothers grew up in Freeport.
Their dad slowly built Travellers Beach Resort, handing Wellington the keys after graduating from college.
“These are wooden structures with zinc roofing, so these are the original structures that we had here that my dad started the resort with,” he said.
“I feel more confident at being here at Travellers than if I were to stay where I was living,” said Brooklyn native Kenya Wagstaff.
Wagstaff spoke to Eyewitness News from the resort lobby.
Wagstaff recently moved to Jamaica, a lower-lying area.
Melissa will be Wagstaff’s first hurricane.
“I feel like yeah, this is a real situation that I’m about to be experiencing and I don’t want to do it without some support so here I am,” Wagstaff said.
“Once landfall is made, everybody is going to stay exactly where they are. I’m expecting this to be an extremely violent experience,” Wellington said. “I am scared. I’m scared for Jamaica. You know, I don’t know what this is going to turn out to be.”
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
Hurricane Melissa grew to a Category 5 hurricane Oct. 27 as it neared Jamaica, but videos that social media users claim show the storm making landfall are deceiving — it wasn’t on shore yet when the videos were posted.
An Oct. 26 TikTok video shows footage of intense flooding, wind and property damage, and, occasionally, people screaming in English in the background.
“Hurricane Melissa Category 5 hits Jamaica with 160 mph winds right now,” says text on the video, which had 1.8 million views as of the afternoon of Oct. 27.
Other users on TikTok and Threads also shared the video.
The Associated Press reported that Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades. One advisory said the hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour, as the TikTok says, but the footage in the post was taken from previous disaster events.
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Video shows 2018 storm in Maratea, Italy
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The first clip shows high waves topping a safety wall and moving inland, but this footage isn’t from Jamaica. When doing a reverse image search, PolitiFact found the video is from a 2018 storm in the small town of Maratea, Italy. We found a newscast and a report about the storm from the Italian news outlet Potenza News24 City. Getty Images also published the same footage in 2018 about Maratea.
Video showing red vehicles isn’t from Jamaica
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The second clip in the TikTok that shows strong winds and two red vehicles also isn’t from Jamaica. The footage appeared in another misleading video shared in August and supposedly from Cheyenne, Wyoming. However, the earliest version of the clip online is from a June 21 TikTok post that says it was from Hurricane Erick in Ometepec, Mexico.
Video shows storm in Veracruz, Mexico
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The clip where a palm tree falls on a gray SUV wasn’t in Jamaica either. PolitiFact found the same video shared on Facebook in May with a Spanish subtitle saying it was because of a storm in the Universidad Tecnológica del Centro de Veracruz in Veracruz, Mexico. A TikTok user also shared the footage in May, saying it was in the same Veracruz university in Mexico.
Video shows a storm in Oklahoma
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The footage that shows high winds and an SUV getting hit by leaves was originally shared June 5 on Facebook by Mike Morgan, Oklahoma’s News 4’s (KFOR-TV) chief meteorologist. Morgan said this was a “weaker tornado” that hit Garvin County.
Videos shows footage of 2018 Hurricane Michael
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The clip of strong winds and rain blowing through what looks like the entrance to a parking garage is from 2018. Dan Robinson, a storm chaser, filmed the clip during Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida.
Video shows storm in Moncalieri, Italy
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The video that shows high winds hitting a street and a white SUV parked under a roof dates back to an August 2024 Facebook post. The caption says in Italian that it is from a storm in Moncalieri, Italy, according to Google Translate.
Video shows flooded streets in Palermo, Italy
(Screengrab from TikTok post.)
The last clip of cars driving through flooded streets also isn’t from Jamaica. One of the cars has a European Union license plate, and a reverse image search found the footage is from flooded streets in the city of Palermo, Italy, after heavy rains in June. An Italian news report shows the same video.
We rate the claim that this video shows Hurricane Melissa hitting Jamaica on Oct. 26 False.
Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday as it neared Jamaica, where forecasters said it would unleash catastrophic flooding, multiple landslides and extensive infrastructure damage.Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island on Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.Early Monday, Melissa was centered about 135 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 320 miles (515 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving west at 3 mph, the center said.Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph. Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history forecast to directly hit the small Caribbean nation.”Do not venture out of your safe shelter,” the National Hurricane Center warned.Some areas in eastern Jamaica could see up to 40 inches of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches, according to the hurricane center. “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” it warned.Mandatory evacuations were ordered in seven flood-prone communities in Jamaica, with buses ferrying people to safe shelter.The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.”I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.A tropical storm warning also remained in effect for Haiti.A record storm for JamaicaMelissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service. He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.It would be the first time in recent history that a storm of Category 4 or higher makes landfall in Jamaica, Thompson said.He noted that Hurricane Gilbert was a Category 3 storm when it hit the island in 1988. Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl were both Category 4, but they did not make landfall, Thompson said.In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13 feet above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall, the U.S. center said.”Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”A hit on HispaniolaThe storm has already dropped heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under red alert.Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters have also cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said.In neighboring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half of the country’s population, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger, with 1.9 million of those facing emergency levels of hunger.”Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season,” the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.Melissa was expected to keep dumping heavy rain over parts of Haiti as it moves northeast in the upcoming days.A hurricane watch was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas and for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
KINGSTON, Jamaica —
Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday as it neared Jamaica, where forecasters said it would unleash catastrophic flooding, multiple landslides and extensive infrastructure damage.
Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island on Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.
Early Monday, Melissa was centered about 135 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 320 miles (515 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving west at 3 mph, the center said.
Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph. Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history forecast to directly hit the small Caribbean nation.
“Do not venture out of your safe shelter,” the National Hurricane Center warned.
Some areas in eastern Jamaica could see up to 40 inches of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches, according to the hurricane center. “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” it warned.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered in seven flood-prone communities in Jamaica, with buses ferrying people to safe shelter.
The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”
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Tracking the tropics
The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
A tropical storm warning also remained in effect for Haiti.
A record storm for Jamaica
Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service. He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.
It would be the first time in recent history that a storm of Category 4 or higher makes landfall in Jamaica, Thompson said.
He noted that Hurricane Gilbert was a Category 3 storm when it hit the island in 1988. Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl were both Category 4, but they did not make landfall, Thompson said.
In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13 feet above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall, the U.S. center said.
“Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”
A hit on Hispaniola
The storm has already dropped heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under red alert.
Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters have also cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said.
In neighboring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half of the country’s population, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger, with 1.9 million of those facing emergency levels of hunger.
“Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season,” the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Melissa was expected to keep dumping heavy rain over parts of Haiti as it moves northeast in the upcoming days.
A hurricane watch was in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas and for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
WESH 2’s award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring Hurricane Melissa and will continue to provide updates. Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm according to the National Hurricane Center. Rapid intensification is expected to continue over the next few days. The National Hurricane Center expects Melissa to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane by the end of the weekend.Melissa has 160 mph winds and is moving west at about 3 mph as the storm’s center is about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.The storm has a minimum central pressure of 917 mb as of the 5 a.m. NHC update.Watches and warnings in effect:Hurricane Warning in effect for JamaicaHurricane Warning in effect for Cuban provinces of Granma, Guantanamo and Holguin, Santiago de Cuba. Hurricane Watch in effect for southeastern and central Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Island. Tropical Storm Warning in effect for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las TunasRainMelissa is expected to bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of 8 to 16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday.Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely. For eastern Cuba, storm total rainfall of 10 to 15 inches, with local amounts of 20 inches, is expected by Monday into Wednesday resulting in life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides. Over the Southeast Bahamas, total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches is expected Tuesday into Wednesday resulting in areas of flash flooding.Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
ORLANDO, Fla. —
WESH 2’s award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring Hurricane Melissa and will continue to provide updates.
Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm according to the National Hurricane Center. Rapid intensification is expected to continue over the next few days.
The National Hurricane Center expects Melissa to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane by the end of the weekend.
Melissa has 160 mph winds and is moving west at about 3 mph as the storm’s center is about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica.
The storm has a minimum central pressure of 917 mb as of the 5 a.m. NHC update.
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Watches and warnings in effect:
Hurricane Warning in effect for Jamaica
Hurricane Warning in effect for Cuban provinces of Granma, Guantanamo and Holguin, Santiago de Cuba.
Hurricane Watch in effect for southeastern and central Bahamas, Turks & Caicos Island.
Tropical Storm Warning in effect for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas
Rain
Melissa is expected to bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of 8 to 16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday.
Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely.
For eastern Cuba, storm total rainfall of 10 to 15 inches, with local amounts of 20 inches, is expected by Monday into Wednesday resulting in life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides.
Over the Southeast Bahamas, total rainfall of 4 to 8 inches is expected Tuesday into Wednesday resulting in areas of flash flooding.
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately.As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Melissa was producing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a category 4 hurricane. The storm was located 125 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and inching west at 5 mph. The latest satellite images show a well-defined eye wall.”Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.” Related video above: Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the CaribbeanMelissa was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 285 miles (460 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving west at 5 mph (7 kph), the hurricane center said.Melissa was expected to drop torrential rains of up to 30 inches (760 millimeters) on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to the hurricane center. Some areas may see as much as 40 inches (1,010 millimeters) of rain.It also warned that extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities in Jamaica were to be expected.Melissa should be near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it could bring up to 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain, before moving toward the Bahamas later Wednesday.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that the hurricane watch for Cuba could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday.Airports closed and shelters activatedThe erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.Jamaica’s government said the main airport in Montego Bay, Sangster International Airport, will shut down at midday local time on Sunday as the island’s national emergency agency activated its level 3 emergency protocol ahead of Melissa.The biggest airport on the island, Norman Manley International Airport in the capital, Kingston, closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.”With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica.”There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.He said all members of the National Response Team are now on full alert.More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.Communities cut off by rising watersHaitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast.Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes, Haitian officials said.The storm damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.The Bahamas Department of Meteorology said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to islands in the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.———Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately.
As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Melissa was producing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a category 4 hurricane. The storm was located 125 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and inching west at 5 mph. The latest satellite images show a well-defined eye wall.
“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
Related video above: Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean
Melissa was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 285 miles (460 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving west at 5 mph (7 kph), the hurricane center said.
Melissa was expected to drop torrential rains of up to 30 inches (760 millimeters) on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to the hurricane center. Some areas may see as much as 40 inches (1,010 millimeters) of rain.
It also warned that extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities in Jamaica were to be expected.
Melissa should be near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it could bring up to 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain, before moving toward the Bahamas later Wednesday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that the hurricane watch for Cuba could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday.
Airports closed and shelters activated
The erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Jamaica’s government said the main airport in Montego Bay, Sangster International Airport, will shut down at midday local time on Sunday as the island’s national emergency agency activated its level 3 emergency protocol ahead of Melissa.
The biggest airport on the island, Norman Manley International Airport in the capital, Kingston, closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
“With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.
He said all members of the National Response Team are now on full alert.
More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.
Communities cut off by rising waters
Haitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast.
Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes, Haitian officials said.
The storm damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to islands in the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately.As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Melissa was producing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a category 4 hurricane. The storm was located 125 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and inching west at 5 mph. The latest satellite images show a well-defined eye wall.”Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.” Related video above: Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the CaribbeanMelissa was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 285 miles (460 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving west at 5 mph (7 kph), the hurricane center said.Melissa was expected to drop torrential rains of up to 30 inches (760 millimeters) on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to the hurricane center. Some areas may see as much as 40 inches (1,010 millimeters) of rain.It also warned that extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities in Jamaica were to be expected.Melissa should be near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it could bring up to 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain, before moving toward the Bahamas later Wednesday.The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that the hurricane watch for Cuba could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday.Airports closed and shelters activatedThe erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.Jamaica’s government said the main airport in Montego Bay, Sangster International Airport, will shut down at midday local time on Sunday as the island’s national emergency agency activated its level 3 emergency protocol ahead of Melissa.The biggest airport on the island, Norman Manley International Airport in the capital, Kingston, closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.”With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica.”There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.He said all members of the National Response Team are now on full alert.More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.Communities cut off by rising watersHaitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast.Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes, Haitian officials said.The storm damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.The Bahamas Department of Meteorology said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to islands in the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.———Savarese reported from Sao Paulo.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately.
As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Melissa was producing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph, making it a category 4 hurricane. The storm was located 125 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica and inching west at 5 mph. The latest satellite images show a well-defined eye wall.
“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
Related video above: Tropical Storm Melissa lumbers through the Caribbean
Melissa was centered about 110 miles (180 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 285 miles (460 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday morning. It had maximum sustained winds of 140 mph (220 kph) and was moving west at 5 mph (7 kph), the hurricane center said.
Melissa was expected to drop torrential rains of up to 30 inches (760 millimeters) on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — Haiti and the Dominican Republic — according to the hurricane center. Some areas may see as much as 40 inches (1,010 millimeters) of rain.
It also warned that extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities in Jamaica were to be expected.
Melissa should be near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, where it could bring up to 12 inches (300 millimeters) of rain, before moving toward the Bahamas later Wednesday.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that the hurricane watch for Cuba could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday.
Airports closed and shelters activated
The erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Jamaica’s government said the main airport in Montego Bay, Sangster International Airport, will shut down at midday local time on Sunday as the island’s national emergency agency activated its level 3 emergency protocol ahead of Melissa.
The biggest airport on the island, Norman Manley International Airport in the capital, Kingston, closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
“With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.
He said all members of the National Response Team are now on full alert.
More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.
Communities cut off by rising waters
Haitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast.
Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes, Haitian officials said.
The storm damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.
The Bahamas Department of Meteorology said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to islands in the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.
As of the 8 a.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center…
Where Melissa is and where Melissa is going: Melissa is about 120 miles south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 280 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. As it moves directly west, its speed has picked up to 5 mph from 3 mph most of Saturday night.
“A slow westward motion is expected (Sunday), followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Monday and Tuesday,” the hurricane center said. “On the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica through Tuesday, across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.”
Melissa’s size and strength: Melissa’s bringing 140 mph maximum sustained winds, making it a Category 4 storm. Hurricane force winds blow up 25 miles from the storm’s center, and tropical storm force winds blow another 150 miles from Melissa’s center.
“Further rapid intensification is expected through (Sunday night), followed by fluctuations in intensity,” the hurricane center said. “Melissa is expected to be a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica Monday night or Tuesday morning and southeastern Cuba late Tuesday.”
Watches and warnings about Melissa: These remain as they’ve been since Saturday afternoon.
Jamaica’s under a hurricane warning.
Hurricane watches are in effect for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Guantánamo, Holguín and Santiago de Cuba. Haiti’s southwest peninsula, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince, is under a hurricane watch and tropical storm warning, meaning they can expect tropical storm conditions within the next 36 hours.
On Saturday, the South and Grand’Anse regions of Haiti were both upgraded to red alerts by the National Disaster Risk Management System. Haitians were warned that the intensification of Melissa had increased the risks of flash floods and landslides. Haitians were asked to remain home, or to move to higher ground if they lived in a flood-prone area. They were also warned to “not cross rising water,” by any means.
Melissa’s effects: If you’re looking for good news in the update for any part of the Caribbean, “the potential for hurricane conditions in the watch area in Haiti have diminished for (Sunday).”
But, tropical storm winds are still expected there on Sunday and hurricane winds remain possible there Tuesday. Eastern Cuba could get hurricane force winds Tuesday and Wednesday.
Being a slow moving storm, Melissa is expected to dump 15 to 30 inches of rain on Jamaica and the southern part of Hispaniola, with some areas getting 40 inches. And, the rain isn’t expected to stop on Wednesday.
“Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are probable across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica,” the hurricane center said.
All that wind and rain means, “Life-threatening storm surge is likely along the south coast of Jamaica late Monday through Tuesday morning. Peak storm surge heights could reach 9 to 13 feet above ground level” near Melissa’s landfall area and east of that.
“This storm surge will be accompanied by large and destructive waves,” the hurricane center said. “There is a potential for significant storm surge along the southeast coast of Cuba late Tuesday or Wednesday.
Next advisory: The next complete advisory will be at 11 a.m.
Since 1989, David J. Neal’s domain at the Miami Herald has expanded to include writing about Panthers (NHL and FIU), Dolphins, old school animation, food safety, fraud, naughty lawyers, bad doctors and all manner of breaking news. He drinks coladas whole. He does not work Indianapolis 500 Race Day.
SET FOR JUST AFTER 10:00, AND TONIGHT WE ARE TRACKING THE TROPICS. HURRICANE MELISSA IS RAPIDLY INTENSIFYING AS IT BARRELS TOWARD JAMAICA. IT’S CURRENTLY A CATEGORY THREE STORM, BUT IT COULD REACH CATEGORY FIVE IN THE NEAR FUTURE, AND THIS COULD BE ONE OF THE MOST DEVASTATING HURRICANES TO HIT JAMAICA IN YEARS. PEOPLE IN JAMAICA HAVE BEEN WARNED THAT THEY NEED TO PREPARE NOW AND HUNKER DOWN. THIS VIDEO, TAKEN IN KINGSTON, SHOWS WINDOWS BOARDED UP IN ANTICIPATION OF THE STORM. AND WE ARE TAKING YOU NOW TO A LIVE LOOK AT KINGSTON. YOU CAN SEE THERE THE GROUND ALREADY WET FROM THE OUTER BANDS AND MARQUISE. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT A CATEGORY FIVE STORM, JUST TO REMIND THE PUBLIC, HURRICANE ANDREW THAT HIT HERE IN SOUTH FLORIDA IN 1992, I BELIEVE WAS A CAT FIVE, AND THAT REALLY CHANGED EVERYTHING. THAT’S HOW STRONG THIS STORM COULD BE. IT’S RARE THAT WE SEE CATEGORY FIVES MAKE LANDFALL, BUT WHEN THEY DO, IT’S A HAYMAKER FOR THE ENTIRE REGION, RIGHT. WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE CHANCE FOR IMMENSE FLOODING, POWER OUTAGES THAT COULD BE WIDESPREAD. ON TOP OF THAT, WITHIN THESE OUTER BANDS, YOU CAN OFTEN FIND SOME TORNADIC SPIN UPS AS WELL. SO ALL IMPACTS WILL BE ON THE TABLE FOR THE NEXT FEW DAYS ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. BUT SPECIFICALLY, WE’RE LOOKING AT JAMAICA AS YOU GUYS ARE UNDER THAT HURRICANE WARNING. IT’S BEEN QUITE A WHILE SINCE YOU SAW A MAJOR HURRICANE MAKE LANDFALL. THE LAST ONE THAT WAS HURRICANE GILBERT. I ALLUDED TO THIS EARLIER IN THE SHOW BACK IN 1988. SO LESS THAN 40 YEARS AGO, WHEN ADJUSTED FOR 2025, IT WAS IT CAUSED $10 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE. AND SINCE THEN, WELL, THE COUNTRY, THEY’VE GROWN IN SIZE BY ABOUT 500,000 PEOPLE. RIGHT ON TOP OF THAT, INFRASTRUCTURE HAS CHANGED AS WELL. BUT THIS STORM COULD POTENTIALLY BE JUST AS BIG AS THE ONE THEY HAD PREVIOUSLY. RIGHT. TAKING A LOOK AT THE EYE WALL, WE SEE THAT BECOMING MUCH MORE DEFINED NOW TONIGHT WITH MAXIMUM SUSTAINED WINDS OF 115MPH. THE STORM’S MOVEMENT IS TOWARDS THE WEST AT 30MPH CONDITIONS. SO IT’S REALLY JUST INCHING ITS WAY ACROSS THE CARIBBEAN. AND KEEP IN MIND, THE SLOWER IT MOVES, THE MORE TIME IT’S GOING TO HAVE TO DRAW IN TO THESE VERY DEEP, WARM WATERS ACROSS THE WESTERN CARIBBEAN. AND THE MORE TIME IT WILL HAVE TO DUMP DOWN THE RAIN ACROSS JAMAICA IN THE NEXT FEW DAYS. SO THAT’S WHAT WE’RE WATCHING OUT FOR. THIS STORM POTENTIALLY BECOMING A CATEGORY FIVE JUST BEFORE LANDFALL. HOW WARM IS THE WATER? WELL, TEMPERATURES ARE ANYWHERE BETWEEN 86 AND 88 DEGREES. SOME OF THE WARMEST SEA SURFACE TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE GLOBE. WHICH IS WHY WE HAVE THIS STORM BECOMING A CATEGORY FIVE BY MONDAY. HEADING INTO TUESDAY, MAKING LANDFALL RIGHT IN THE HEART OF JAMAICA. THEY’RE OUR SPAGHETTI PLOTS ARE FAIRLY TIGHT KNIT. WE SEE THAT RECURVE TOWARDS THE NORTH AND THE EAST, PLACING THIS OVER CUBA AS WE MOVE ACROSS THE WORKWEEK, LIKELY DOWNGRADING, THOUGH, FROM A CATEGORY FIVE OVER JAMAICA, POSSIBLY BECOMING A CATEGORY TWO JUST BEFORE LANDFALL HERE IN CUBA. REGARDLESS, THOUGH, SOUTHEASTERN CUBA, YOU GUYS WILL FEEL THE BRUNT OF THOSE STRONG HURRICANE FORCE WINDS AND ALSO RAINFALL, OFTEN KINGSTON WE COULD POSSIBLY SEE CHANCES FOR RAIN BETWEEN 18 AND 24IN. NOW THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENT MODEL OUTCOMES IN WHICH MELISSA CAN TAKE. THE MOST LIKELY IS THIS NORTH AND EASTERLY PATH, BUT IF IT DOES INTENSIFY QUICKER, WE COULD SEE IT CURVE TOWARDS THE NORTH AND THE EAST A LITTLE BIT FASTER. IT’S GOING TO KEEP US SAFE AS THIS NEXT COLD FRONT HERE IN THE UNITED STATES. SO GREAT NEWS FOR US THERE. REGARDLESS THOUGH, THIS STORM IS GOING TO MAKE NOT ONE BUT TWO LANDFALLS IN JAMAICA AND ACROSS CUBA, LIKELY BEFORE IT GETS TO CUBA AS A CATEGORY THREE OR CATEGORY TWO. HERE, BACK AT HOME, TEMPERATURES ARE BACK IN THE MID 70S. AS WE SETTLE DOWN TONIGHT, BUT IT IS A BREEZY EVENING, WINDS COMING IN FROM THE EAST AND WE HAVE SOME GUSTY CONDITIONS BETWEEN 24 AND 30MPH. THAT’S GOING TO KEEP YOUR RIP CURRENT RISK ALIVE. AND ALSO A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IN PLACE AS WE HEAD INTO THE END OF YOUR WEEKEND, WHICH DOES INCLUDE A FEW MORE CHANCES FOR RAIN TOMORROW, WE’LL CARRY THAT CHANCE FOR RAIN INTO THE START OF YOUR WORKWEEK AS WELL. A 60% COVERAGE ON MONDAY, 30% COVERAGE TUESDAY. SUNSHINE RETURNS WITH COOLER TEMPERATURES, THOUGH, A
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Hurricane Melissa. Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Melissa. Hurricane season 2025The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.>> More: 2025 Hurricane Survival GuideThe First Warning Weather team includes First Warning Chief Meteorologist Tony Mainolfi, Eric Burris, Marquise Meda and Cam Tran.>> 2025 hurricane season | WESH long-range forecast>> Download Very Local | Stream Central Florida news and weather from WESH 2
The National Hurricane Center is monitoring Hurricane Melissa.
Bookmark this page for the latest maps and spaghetti models for Melissa.
Hurricane season 2025
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30. Stay with WESH 2 online and on-air for the most accurate Central Florida weather forecast.
