Hurricane Melissa Heads Toward Jamaica After Deadly Caribbean Impact

Hurricane Melissa, with winds of 75 mph, is heading toward Jamaica after killing four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The storm has destroyed homes and disrupted water supplies, with forecasters warning of severe flooding and landslides. It’s the 13th named storm in an unusually active Atlantic hurricane season, intensified by global warming.

Deadly tropical storm Melissa has intensified into a full-fledged hurricane, according to an announcement from the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) on Saturday. The storm, which has been steadily gathering strength, is now moving toward Jamaica with increasing force.

The NHC confirmed that Melissa’s maximum sustained winds have reached 75 miles per hour (120 kilometers per hour), marking the threshold for hurricane classification. The agency also warned that the storm is undergoing rapid intensification and is projected to become a major hurricane by Sunday. This development has raised serious concerns among meteorologists and regional authorities, as the storm’s path threatens several Caribbean nations already vulnerable to severe weather.

Forecasters have issued urgent warnings about the heavy rainfall expected to accompany the hurricane. These downpours could lead to catastrophic flooding, flash floods, and landslides across the northern Caribbean, especially in mountainous and low-lying areas. Communities in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Jamaica are on high alert as the storm continues its westward movement.

Melissa has already left a trail of destruction in its wake. In Haiti, three people have lost their lives—two victims were killed in a landslide on Thursday, while a third person died earlier in the week when a tree fell on them during intense rainfall. In the neighboring Dominican Republic, one person has been confirmed dead and another reported missing. The damage there has been extensive, with nearly 200 homes completely destroyed. The storm has also disrupted essential services, cutting off water supply to more than half a million residents.

In its most recent update, the NHC stated that Melissa was located about 235 miles (380 kilometers) southwest of Haiti and slowly advancing toward Jamaica. Meteorologists predict that the storm will bring torrential rain to Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic through Monday, increasing the risk of flooding and landslides. Southeastern Cuba is also expected to experience the storm’s impact, with rainfall estimated between 10 and 20 centimeters, which could trigger flash floods in vulnerable regions.

Melissa is now recognized as the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which officially runs from June 1 to November 30. This year’s hurricane activity has been consistent with predictions from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which forecast an above-normal season featuring between 13 and 18 named storms.

Scientists and climate experts have continued to emphasize that such extreme weather events are becoming more frequent and intense due to the warming of the Earth’s atmosphere. This warming trend, largely driven by human activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, has led to increased ocean temperatures that fuel stronger storms like Melissa. The growing pattern of powerful hurricanes serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for global action to mitigate climate change and strengthen disaster preparedness in vulnerable regions.