Jamaica is bracing for what could be the most intense storm in its history as Hurricane Melissa rapidly approaches with powerful Category 5 winds.
The hurricane is expected to gather speed and batter the Caribbean country with up to 76 centimetres (30 inches) of rain when it makes landfall on Tuesday.
“Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami has warned.
At least four people have already died, including three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. One person remains missing.
Maximum sustained winds are expected to reach 150 mph (240km/h) in Jamaica.
“Many of these communities will not survive this flooding,” local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, said at a press conference on Monday. “Kingston is low, extremely low. No community in Kingston is immune from flooding.”
Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said that the force of the storm was unprecedented.
“We’ve heard the rainfall numbers. They’re numbers we’ve never heard before,” he said.
Hurricane Melissa ‘most powerful’ storm in decades for Jamaica
“Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami has warned.
At least four people have already died, including three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. One person remains missing.
Maximum sustained winds are expected to reach 150 mph (240km/h) in Jamaica.
The storm has gained strength and was reclassified to category 5 on Monday.
It could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has seen in decades, Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service, told the Associated Press.
Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:35
Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa as category 5 storm threatens Caribbean
Residents in Jamaica prepared for Hurricane Melissa as it strengthened into a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday (26 October).
Melissa, the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, is expected to reach Jamaica’s southern coast late on Monday or Tuesday morning.
Footage shows people stocking up on supplies and covering shop windows as the US National Hurricane Center warned the storm could intensify to a Category 5.
Jamaican authorities have activated shelters and closed Kingston‘s Norman Manley International Airport in preparation.
Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:30
Travellers in Jamaica warned not to go to the airport until they have a confirmed flight out
The Independent’s travel correspondent Simon Calder reports:
Montego Bay airport authorities say: “When we reopen, confirm flight status with your airline BEFORE travelling.”
Kingston airport is warning travellers whose flights have been cancelled: “Passengers, contact your airline for rebooking. DO NOT go to the airport. Hundreds of British travellers are stranded on the island by the cancellations.”
The Foreign Office has a helpline for UK citizens in Jamaica who need support.
The FCDO says: “Contact Consular Support at 876-936-0700 (Select Option 2).”
The US Embassy in the Jamaican capital, Kingston, is urging American citizens: “Seek secure shelter. Stock sufficient food, water, batteries, and medicine before the storm arrives. Shelter in place and contact your loved ones to let them know how you are doing.”
Simon Calder27 October 2025 09:22
Hurricane Melissa now a category 5 storm, says NHC
The National Hurricane Centre has upgraded its classification of Hurricane Melissa, as it warned it is now a category 5 storm.
Destructive winds, storm sturge, and catastrophic flood will worsen on Jamaica through the day and into tonight, it said on Monday.
Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:17
Map: Path of Hurricane Melissa as Jamaica braces for impact
Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:05
Photos show Hurricane Melissa’s impact on the Carribean
Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:02
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