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.
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
