- Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5, threatening severe impact on Jamaica.
- Catastrophic flooding and landslides are expected due to high rainfall.
- U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay evacuated families ahead of the storm's arrival.
Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensified to a Category 5 hurricane this past weekend, as the potentially historic storm makes its way through the Atlantic Ocean toward Jamaica.
The storm is expected to make landfall early Tuesday, bringing up to 40 inches of rain and sustained winds of 160 mph to the island, which is preparing for catastrophic damage, per CNN. The storm is predicted to cause extensive damage that will likely cut off or destroy multiple communities.
On its way to Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa has already killed three people in Haiti and one person in the Dominican Republic. Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued across Jamaica.
The storm more than doubled in strength over the weekend, with its winds increasing by 70 mph in just 24 hours, per CNN.
What we know about Hurricane Melissa
The storm is forecast to cause catastrophic flash flooding, life-threatening landslides and extremely strong winds throughout the Caribbean.
According to NBC News, the storm was located around 135 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, on Monday morning and was moving west at 3 mph. Category 5 is the highest and most dangerous category on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.
Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful storm to hit the region since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
The storm is the third Category 5 of the 2025 season, and the last time there were more than two Category 5 storms in the same season was in 2005, per NBC News. Melissa is also occurring later in the season than most Category 5 storms do — the last time one occurred this late was Hurricane Mitch in 1998.
The 40 inches of rain that could be brought by Melissa is more than some areas of the country typically receive in a year, per NBC News. A storm surge of over 10 feet could also slam into the country’s southern coast.
According to AccuWeather, the storm is forecast to make landfall early Tuesday morning in the western to central portion of Jamaica, with effects felt across the whole island. Conditions will begin to rapidly deteriorate late Monday.
The storm will continue to rage through Tuesday night.
Jamaica’s mountainous terrain will amplify the rainfall and increase the effects of flash floods and mudslides.
In the Dominican Republic, Hurricane Melissa damaged over 100 homes and has knocked out water service in several areas, per USA Today.
Jamaica prepares for the storm
The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami has warned people in Jamaica to go to shelters and stay there during the storm. Jamaica’s 881 shelters were all open as of Monday morning, but many were not yet full.
Desmond Mackenzie, Jamaica’s minister of local government and community development, said that many Jamaican communities “will not survive this flooding,” per NBC News.
Residents in Jamaica have been filling up gas canisters for generators and boarding up windows to prepare for the intense wind and rain.
“People choosing to ride out the storm in unsafe areas, or those who are unable to move out of harm’s way, will face great peril,” AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist Jon Porter said. “An extremely urgent humanitarian crisis may follow. The devastation from the electricity infrastructure alone may take months to repair. Food refrigeration and safe drinking water may not be available for an extended period.”
U.S. military evacuates Guantanamo Bay
Over the weekend, the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay began moving families off the island as preparation for Hurricane Melissa’s arrival.
“Non-mission-essential U.S. citizens will be moving off the island as early as Saturday afternoon and no later than Sunday morning,” the naval station told residents on Friday, per USA Today.
Civilians and families were shuttled to board planes bound for Florida, with many families taken to an air station in Pensacola.
According to USA Today, the Navy base serves around 6,000 people, including joint services personnel, civilians, family members and others.
Eastern Cuba is expected to receive up to 20 inches of rain through midweek.