Jamaica Braces for Melissa Landfall As Storm Winds Reach 160 Miles Per Hour
The slow-moving but increasingly powerful Hurricane Melissa continued to churn toward Jamaica on Sunday, its maximum sustained winds reaching 160 miles per hour — with even higher gusts recorded by NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters. That makes it a Category 5 hurricane.
By Monday morning, the storm’s eye was located about 135 miles southwest of Kingston and roughly 295 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. Melissa’s pace remained sluggish — just three miles per hour — even slower than it was on Sunday.
A Hurricane Warning remained in effect for Jamaica and parts of eastern Cuba, including the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin.
A Hurricane Watch was now in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The system is expected to continue moving slowly westward before turning north and northeast by Monday and Tuesday, putting Jamaica directly in its path.
A Tropical Storm Warning was issued for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas.
The National Hurricane Center emphasized that “a Hurricane Warning means that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area,” generally issued about 36 hours before the first tropical-storm-force winds arrive — conditions that make final preparations dangerous. Authorities across Jamaica have urged residents to complete all safety measures by Sunday night.
Forecasters now expect Melissa’s core to move over Jamaica on Monday and Tuesday, then cross southeastern Cuba Tuesday night before sweeping over the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
Melissa’s hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the eye, with tropical-storm-force winds reaching as far as 205 miles. The storm’s central pressure has dropped to 933 millibars, signaling continued intensification over warm Caribbean waters.
Impacts and Rainfall Threat
Tropical-storm conditions are already being felt in parts of Jamaica, with hurricane conditions expected to begin by Monday. In eastern Cuba, tropical-storm-force winds are anticipated by Tuesday afternoon, followed by hurricane conditions by Tuesday evening. Haiti’s southwestern coast is experiencing tropical-storm conditions, and hurricane-force winds remain possible in the watch area.
Melissa’s most dangerous impact, however, could come from rainfall. Forecast models indicate 15 to 30 inches of rain across portions of Jamaica, with localized totals up to 20 inches, triggering catastrophic flash floods and landslides.
Over the southeastern Bahamas, rainfall totals between 4 and 8 inches are expected through midweek, bringing potential flash flooding in low-lying areas.
Authorities across the Caribbean are urging residents to stay informed through their national meteorological services.
Hurricane Melissa is forecast to remain a major Category 5 storm as it travels over Jamaica — a powerful and dangerous system with the potential to bring life-threatening winds, rain, and storm surge across multiple islands in the days ahead.
