Hurricane Melissa Roars Toward Jamaica as Category 4 Storm, Threatening ‘Catastrophic’ Floods

Hurricane Melissa has exploded into a powerful Category 4 system, churning through the northern Caribbean with destructive winds and torrential rain that forecasters warn could trigger deadly floods and landslides across Jamaica and southern Haiti.

Meteorologists say Melissa could reach Category 5 strength as it closes in on Jamaica, likely making landfall within the next 48 hours.

“I urge Jamaicans to take this weather threat seriously,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said in a televised address. “Take all measures to protect yourself.”

By late Saturday night, Melissa was centered about 200 kilometers south-southeast of Kingston and packing sustained winds of 185 kilometers per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center.

Jamaican authorities announced the closure of Kingston’s Norman Manley International Airport and activated more than 650 shelters. Warehouses have been stocked with food and supplies as thousands of emergency packages were pre-positioned across the island.

Forecasters warned the storm could dump up to 76 centimeters of rain on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic, before moving slowly toward Cuba midweek. The Cuban government has issued hurricane watches for the eastern provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguín.

In Haiti, at least three people have died, with another fatality and a missing person reported in the Dominican Republic. Rising rivers and breached banks have destroyed bridges and flooded towns, including Sainte-Suzanne in the northeast.

In the Dominican Republic, nearly 200 homes have been damaged, and more than half a million people have lost access to running water. Floodwaters have isolated more than two dozen communities and triggered small landslides across the country’s mountainous regions.

The Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands are also bracing for impact early next week as the system moves northwest, possibly retaining hurricane strength.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.