Graphic courtesy of ABC News

 

A fearsome category five Hurricane Melissa is bearing down on Jamaica, promising catastrophic rains and winds. Expected to strike in the early hours of Tuesday, Melissa boasts wind speeds of up to 165 mph (270 km/h). The storm has already claimed four lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

 

Melissa's slow movement portends extended periods of rain, heightening the risk of severe flooding and landslides. "This extreme rainfall... is going to create a catastrophic event here for Jamaica," warned Jamie Rhome from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Kingston and surrounding areas have been evacuated, and the entire island is on high alert.

 

Currently 145 miles (233 km) southwest of Kingston and advancing at 3 mph (6 km/h), Melissa could still intensify. Damian Anderson, a local, shared his fears: "We can't move. We're scared," highlighting the growing sense of unease across affected communities.

 

Meteorologists predict that destructive winds and storm surges will hit overnight into Tuesday. The NHC warns of possible further strengthening and forecasts the hurricane's path over southeastern Cuba and the Bahamas later this week. Up to 40 inches (100 cm) of rain is expected in parts of Jamaica.

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has urged evacuations in vulnerable areas and asked Jamaicans to stay put during the storm. In his urging message on social media, he declared resilience, "We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger."

 

With school buses mobilised for evacuation and toll booths opened for ease of movement, authorities are committed to safeguarding residents. Meanwhile, the aftermath in Haiti and the Dominican Republic is harrowing, with multiple fatalities and scores of homes deluged.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• Hurricane Melissa's expected landfall is threatening Jamaica with severe weather.
• Evacuations are underway in Kingston and other vulnerable areas.
• The storm has already caused multiple deaths in the Caribbean region.

 

  Adapted by ASEAN Now from BBC 2025-10-28

 

 

This is going to be very very bad for Jamaica. A  sonde was dropped and measured a gust of 210kts at 100 meters. Pressure now 909mb, about as bad as it can be. A combination of unprecedented wind speeds, storm that surge, and rainfall exacerbated by Jamaica's mountainous interior.

 

The Gerald R Ford has supposedly cleared the Straits of Gibraltor; is its mission being adjusted as it heads West? The US Administration's rhetoric on Venezuela seems to be weakening somewhat given that its admitted the boats hit don't have the range to get to the US, plus stories surfacing about the Venezuelan government about to do a deal over oil access rights. Jamaica is also home to quitea few US citizens. Likely to hit Negril, where a lot of hotels are. Because of the mountains, mudslides are going to be an issue, so you will need heavy excavation equipment.

Hurricane Melissa category 5 to meet US warships in the Caribbean. The warships are built to survive Category 5 but still extemely dangerous. May have to withdraw to avoid the storm. Will have to see just what kind of decision by the part-time Fox weekend presenter posing as secretary of war will decide.  

 

From 2010:

Climate change to bring fewer, stronger storms

Top researchers now agree that the world is likely to face stronger but fewer hurricanes in the future because of global warming, seeming to settle a scientific debate on the subject.

But they say there's not enough evidence yet to tell whether that effect has already begun.

Since just before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana and Mississippi in 2005, duelling scientific papers have clashed about whether global warming is worsening hurricanes and will do so in the future.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/science/climate-change-to-bring-fewer-stronger-storms-1.939750

 

From 2024

Are hurricanes becoming more frequent?
Climate change has not led to an increase in the total number of hurricanes hitting the U.S. each year. But the storms that do form are more likely to become more intense, with higher wind speeds, heavier rainfall, and more severe storm surge.

So while the total number of storms doesn’t appear to be changing, dangerous storms are becoming more common.

https://www.npr.org/2024/10/08/nx-s1-5143320/hurricanes-climate-change