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Investigates Investigates Money Diaries The Journal TV Climate Crisis Cost of Living Road Safety Newsletters Temperature Check Inside the Newsroom The Journal Investigates Daft.ie Property Allianz Home The 42 Sport TG4 Entertainment The Explainer A deep dive into one big news story Sport meets news, current affairs, society & pop culture have your say Or create a free account to join the discussion Advertisement More Stories Melissa brought torrential rain as a tropical storm to the Dominican Republic - it has now strengthened to a category five hurricane.Alamy Stock Photo Hurricane Melissa strengthens to a record Category Five storm as it nears Jamaica Melissa is forecast to make landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas on Wednesday. 6.52pm, 27 Oct 2025 Share options HURRICANE MELISSA HAS intensified to Category Five strength as it nears Jamaica. Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island on Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas on Wednesday. Early this morning, Melissa was centred about 135 miles (220 kilometres) south-west of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 320 miles (515 kilometres) south-west of Guantanamo, Cuba, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) and was moving west at three mph (5 kph), the centre said. Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph). Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history forecast to directly hit the small Caribbean nation. “Do not venture out of your safe shelter,” the National Hurricane Centre warned. Some areas in eastern Jamaica could see up to 40 inches (one metre) of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches (40 centimetres), according to the hurricane centre. “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” it warned. Mandatory evacuations were ordered in seven flood-prone communities in Jamaica, with buses ferrying people to safe shelter. The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. “I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.” Advertisement The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches (51 centimetres) of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast. A tropical storm warning also remained in effect for Haiti. This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Melissa today.Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo A record storm for Jamaica Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service. He warned that clean-up and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads. It would be the first time in recent history that a storm of Category 4 or higher makes landfall in Jamaica, Mr Thompson said. He noted that Hurricane Gilbert was a Category 3 storm when it hit the island in 1988. Hurricanes Ivan and Beryl were both Category 4, but they did not make landfall, Mr Thompson said. In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13 feet (4 metres) above ground level, near and to the east of where the centre of Melissa makes landfall, the US centre said. “Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.” Press Association Send Tip or Correction Embed this post To embed this post, copy the code below on your site Email “Hurricane Melissa strengthens to a record Category Five storm as it nears Jamaica”. Recipient's Email Feedback on “Hurricane Melissa strengthens to a record Category Five storm as it nears Jamaica”. Your Feedback Your Email (optional) Report a Comment Please select the reason for reporting this comment. Please give full details of the problem with the comment... 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