Jamaica Braces as Hurricane Melissa Roars to Category 5

Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm and is expected to hit Jamaica Monday afternoon as the strongest hurricane in the country’s history, with winds of up to 260 km/hr.

All airports on the island were closed Sunday ahead of Melissa’s arrival.

The dangerous, slow-moving storm is expected to hit between midday Monday and Tuesday, before moving on towards Cuba and Haiti on Wednesday. As of Monday morning, Melissa was centred about 205 kilometres south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 505 kilometres south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Forecasters are predicting the potential of destruction similar to Hurricane Katrina in the U.S., which was a slow-moving, catastrophic storm that pummelled the area with heavy rainfall, causing massive widespread flooding. Melissa is expected to bring a thirteen foot storm surge to Jamaica.

In a social media post on Sunday (October 26), Angella Bennett, Regional Director, Canada for the Jamaica Tourist Board said she flying home to Canada where she will be most effective after losing power.

“Due to Hurricane Melissa’s rapid intensification to a Category 4 storm, I’ve made the decision to depart Jamaica today to ensure my ability to stay connected and support our operations remotely” Bennett’s post read.

“With internet connectivity, I’ll be able to monitor updates from the TEOC center and respond accordingly. To everyone on island, please prioritize your safety and follow guidance from hotel management and the Government of Jamaica. Stay safe, and let’s get through this together.”

Tropical storm-force winds are already occurring across Jamaica. Flooding has occurred in the Dominican Republic and hurricane warnings remain in effect for Cuba where it is expected to weaken a bit before arriving Tuesday (October 28) night. Melissa is expected to then track towards the Bahamas or Turks and Caicos Wednesday night into Thursday.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami says Melissa could be the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica in 37 years; the last hurricane on record to make landfall over Jamaica was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 which was a Category 4 hurricane, with winds of 130 mph, about 210 kms/hr.