Tropical Storm Melissa May Hit Jamaica as a Hurricane, Causing Travel Delays

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to hit Jamaica this weekend, possibly as a hurricane, and those traveling through the Caribbean should keep an eye out for a potentially significant impact.

As of early on Friday, the storm was stationary about 165 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 275 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It is expected to slowly drift northeast later on Friday and into Friday night, before heading west on Saturday through Monday.

The NHC expects the storm to start to impact Haiti on Saturday, Jamaica on Sunday and Monday, and possibly the southern coast of Cuba also on Monday.

Melissa’s slow motion means the storm could lash Jamaica over a period of days. “Due to Melissa’s slow motion, the risk of a prolonged multi-day period of potentially damaging winds, heavy rainfall resulting in life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides, and storm surge continues to increase for Jamaica,” the NHC wrote in its warning on Friday.

The NHC expects the same kind of potential for Haiti, too — heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding and landslides.

For now, the NHC has a Hurricane Watch (hurricane conditions possible within 48 hours) out for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti and Jamaica, and a Tropical Storm Warning for the same area.

“Interests elsewhere in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and eastern Cuba should monitor the progress of Melissa. A hurricane warning may be required for Jamaica later today,” the NHC wrote.

What is the Travel Impact of Tropical Storm Melissa?

Melissa is likely to impact flights through Jamaica, Haiti, and possibly the Dominican Republic, starting this weekend.

As of Friday morning, these airlines have issued waivers ahead of Melissa’s arrival:

JetBlue has a waiver out for flights through both Kingston (KIN) and Montego Bay (MBJ). That waiver runs through both Oct. 25 and Oct. 26 and allows flyers to rebook their flights for travel through Oct. 31 without penalty.

Southwest has a waiver out for Montego Bay (MBJ) from Oct. 25 through Oct. 28. Travelers can rebook or travel standby within 14 days of the original ticket without penalty.

United Airlines has a waiver out for flights through Montego Bay (MBJ) from Oct. 25 through Oct. 27. Travelers can change their flight to a new one through Nov. 3 without penalty.

Cruise lines sailing in the area have also been monitoring the storm, but as of Friday morning, no changes have been made. There are a number of cruise ships scheduled to be in the area over the next week.

Those ships include Carnival Dream, which is scheduled to call at Ocho Rios on Oct. 28 and on Montego Bay on Oct. 29, along with Norwegian Joy, which is scheduled to call on Montego Bay on Oct. 29 and on Ocho Rios on Oct. 30.