Hurricane Melissa is Jamaica’s worst storm on record

Jamaica is bracing for the most powerful hurricane in its modern history as Hurricane Melissa – now a high-end Category 4 storm – barrels slowly toward the island.

The US National Hurricane Centre, or NHC, warned on October 25 that Melissa “could make landfall in the Caribbean Basin at the highest intensity since records began to be kept of tropical cyclones.”

The storm with winds sustained at near 140 mph is slowly moving west. The storm is expected to make landfall late Monday or early Tuesday (October 27-28), and could briefly become a Category 5 storm.

Jamaica to experience catastrophic flooding and landslides

The NHC projects 15–30 inches (380–760 mm) of rain across the island, with isolated totals of up to 40 inches (1 m) in mountainous areas – levels that could unleash life-threatening flash flooding and landslides.

Evan Thompson is the Principal Director of Jamaica Meteorological Service. He told the Jamaica Observer that “with these powerful winds, a Category 4-hurricane could produce, the water will be pushed onto the shoreline, and it may even push houses and entire communities into the sea.”

National Emergency Operations Centre has been activated and more than 650 temporary shelters have opened across the country.

• Norman Manley International Airport and Sangster International Airport are closed.
• In several parishes, curfews are in place and there are restrictions on transportation.
• ODPEM urges residents to “heed official warnings.”

Jamaica is located within the hurricane belt but direct landfalls on Jamaica are rare. Meteorologist Jeff Masters told the Washington Post that Melissa’s slow motion and intense rainfall could produce “a worst-case scenario…”

Haiti and Dominican Republic are also on alert because of Hurricane Melissa

NOAA warns Melissa will also affect Haiti and Dominican Republic where at least four fatalities have been reported. Up until mid-week, heavy rain and landslides could cause communities to be cut off in mountainous terrain.

Forecasts show that the system will track toward the southern Bahamas this week.

Official updates can be found on the NHC Hurricane Melissa page.

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