Jamaica is bracing for what meteorologists are calling one of the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded in the Caribbean. Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm early Monday, packing sustained winds of up to 160 mph (257 km/h) as it churned slowly toward the island nation.
The storm, which began as a cluster of thunderstorms off the coast of West Africa earlier this month, crossed the Atlantic and intensified rapidly over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa is expected to make landfall along Jamaica’s southern coast around midday Tuesday, bringing catastrophic winds, torrential rainfall, and deadly storm surges.
If current forecasts hold, Melissa would rank among the strongest five hurricanes ever to hit Jamaica directly.
Slow and Dangerous Path
Unlike many tropical systems that sweep quickly through the region, Melissa has been crawling across the Caribbean at an unusually slow pace, roughly 7 km/h (4 mph). Experts warn that this sluggish movement makes it even more destructive, as the storm lingers longer over land, dumping immense amounts of rain and intensifying flooding.
“Melissa’s slow movement means communities could experience hurricane-force winds and rainfall for many hours, possibly even a full day,” the NHC said in a statement. Meteorologists predict between 38 and 76 centimeters of rainfall in parts of Jamaica, with flash floods and landslides expected across the island’s mountainous terrain.
A U.S. Air Force reconnaissance flight that entered the storm’s eye on Monday confirmed the presence of a rare “stadium effect” which is a towering ring of clouds that typically appears only in the most intense hurricanes.
Communities Brace for Impact
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Local authorities have urged residents in flood-prone areas to evacuate immediately. Schools and government offices across Jamaica have closed, while emergency shelters have opened in Kingston, Portmore, and Montego Bay.
“This will be the storm of the century for Jamaica,” warned Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist with the World Meteorological Organization. “Melissa’s strength and slow speed create a deadly combination, one that could devastate coastal and low-lying areas.”
Jamaica’s Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said the government was preparing for a “worst-case scenario.” “Kingston is extremely low-lying,” he noted. “No community in the capital is immune from flooding. Many of these neighborhoods will simply not survive this level of water.”
Regional Impact and Rising Toll
Even before making landfall, Melissa has left a trail of destruction across the Caribbean. At least seven people have been reported dead, three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. Hundreds more have been displaced, while widespread power outages and washed-out roads have hampered rescue efforts.
The International Federation of the Red Cross estimates that as many as 1.5 million people across the region could be directly affected by the hurricane. Relief agencies are already positioning emergency supplies in neighboring islands in anticipation of post-storm recovery operations.
As Jamaica braces for impact, forecasters caution that Melissa’s track could still shift slightly north or east. But for now, all signs point to a historic and potentially catastrophic landfall.
