Copyright Baltimore News
Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica between 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Tuesday. The storm is the first Category 5 hurricane to hit Jamaica in the island's history, since it began recordkeeping around 174 years ago. Hours before the storm, the Jamaican government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. The streets in the capital, Kingston, remained largely empty except for the lone stray dog crossing puddles and a handful of people walking briskly under tree branches waving in a stiff wind. “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.” Landslides, fallen trees and numerous power outages were reported ahead of the storm, with officials in Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and damage assessment would be slow. The storm is expected to enter near St. Elizabeth parish in the south and exit around St. Ann parish in the north, forecasters said. “Total structural failure is possible near the path of Melissa’s center,” the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Storm surge of 9 to 13 feet is expected across southern Jamaica, with officials concerned about the impact on some hospitals along the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were relocated from the ground floor to the second floor, "and (we) hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place.” According to the latest data from the National Hurricane Center, the maximum sustained winds of Melissa are around 175 mph. The storm was already blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. Melissa is the most powerful hurricane to form during the 2025 Atlantic season and is recording as stronger than Hurricane Katrina. The storm is expected to hit Cuba after making landfall in Jamaica, with severe weather expected in the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
