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Powerful Hurricane Melissa Threatens Catastrophic Flooding in Jamaica and Cuba
27 Oct
Summary
- Hurricane Melissa could reach Category 5 by landfall
- Forecasters warn of catastrophic flooding, landslides, and storm surges
- Jamaican authorities urge residents to evacuate to 900 shelters
As of October 27th, 2025, a powerful hurricane named Melissa is rapidly approaching the Caribbean islands of Jamaica and Cuba. According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa has already intensified and could reach the highest level, Category 5, by the time it makes landfall either this evening or early Tuesday.
The storm is expected to bring catastrophic flooding, landslides, and storm surges to the region. Jamaican authorities have urged residents to evacuate to one of the 900 shelters established across the island, with Prime Minister Andrew Holness issuing mandatory evacuation orders for several areas, including Port Royal in Kingston.
Melissa currently has maximum sustained winds of up to 140mph (220kph) and is expected to strengthen further as it approaches Jamaica. Officials are warning of widespread damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of several communities. The slow-moving storm has already claimed at least three lives in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, with another person still missing.
Forecasters predict that Jamaica and southern Hispaniola could receive between 38cm (15 inches) and 76cm (30 inches) of rain, with localized totals exceeding one meter (40 inches). Eastern Cuba is expected to receive between 25cm (10 inches) and 38cm (15 inches) of rainfall, with local amounts up to 51cm (20 inches).
