Today's News: Hurricane Melissa’s Catastrophic Impact and Path Across the Caribbean
The storm, which has already caused fatalities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is expected to crawl slowly over Jamaica for an extended period, leading to widespread infrastructure damage.
Data source: NOAA. Image: Ben Noll/The Washington Post
Overview
Date: October 27, 2025
Summary: Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 storm, is poised to make a catastrophic landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing life-threatening flash flooding, landslides, destructive winds, and a significant storm surge. The storm, which has already caused fatalities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is expected to crawl slowly over Jamaica for an extended period, leading to widespread infrastructure damage and power outages. After Jamaica, Melissa is forecast to move across southeastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm and then the southeastern Bahamas as a Category 2, with warnings extended to the Turks and Caicos Islands. Officials across the region are urging residents to evacuate vulnerable areas and seek shelter, as Melissa is predicted to be one of the most powerful hurricanes to ever hit Jamaica.
Sources
The New York Times - What to Expect From Hurricane Melissa as It Makes Landfall
The Washington Post - Monster hurricane to hit Jamaica: ‘I have been on my knees in prayer’
The Washington Post - How rarely do Category 4 or 5 hurricanes make landfall?
EL PAÍS - Hurricane Melissa reaches category 1 as it moves toward Jamaica.
Key Points
Hurricane Melissa is a powerful Category 5 storm, expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday morning.
The storm is forecast to bring catastrophic flash flooding, life-threatening landslides, and destructive winds, with rainfall totals potentially exceeding 40 inches in Jamaica’s mountainous regions. Winds in elevated areas could be 30% stronger than near-surface winds.
A significant and life-threatening storm surge of 9-13 feet is anticipated along Jamaica’s southern coast.
After Jamaica, Melissa is projected to move across southeastern Cuba as a Category 3 storm and then the southeastern Bahamas as a Category 2, also impacting Haiti and the Dominican Republic with heavy rains, floods, and landslides through midweek.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness and other officials have issued urgent warnings, including mandatory evacuation orders for vulnerable areas, and urged residents to seek shelter in the 800-881 available shelters.
Airports (including Norman Manley International Airport) and seaports in Jamaica have been closed, and widespread infrastructure damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities are expected due to the storm’s intensity and slow movement.
Melissa is notable as the third Category 5 hurricane of the 2025 season, making it one of the most active seasons on record for such intense storms, a rare occurrence not seen since 2005.
Unique Highlights
The New York Times details the storm’s “painstakingly slow turn” and “punishing pace” over Jamaica, moving no faster than a person can walk, which contributes to high rain totals and prolonged wind exposure. It also mentions a separate storm system developing off the Eastern United States that will bring heavy rain, distinct from Melissa’s effects.
NBC News reports specific details about three deaths in Jamaica related to the felling of trees while preparing for the hurricane, and quotes Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond Mackenzie stating that “many Jamaican communities ‘will not survive this flooding.’” It also includes a personal account from an American tourist who couldn’t get off the island before the storm.
The Washington Post highlights Prime Minister Andrew Holness’s statement that he has “been on my knees in prayer” and that “the entire world is praying for Jamaica.” It also provides information about a NOAA aircraft abandoning its mission due to severe turbulence in Melissa’s eyewall and the Jamaican government’s allocation of $400 million for storm preparation and positioned resources for recovery, including mosquito-spraying operations. The article also discusses the US foreign aid cuts and the State Department’s ambiguous stance on assistance to Jamaica. It mentions satellite intensity estimates reaching “never-before-observed wind speeds of 190 mph,” calling it “satellite history.”
The Washington Post provides extensive historical context, stating that no storm as strong as Melissa has hit Jamaica since the 1850s, and that Jamaica has had no landfalls greater than Category 3 in the modern record. It details the rarity of Category 4/5 landfalls (17% of all hurricanes are Category 4/5, 4% are Category 5), and lists countries most frequently hit by such storms (Florida, Cuba, Bahamas). It also connects Melissa’s intensity to climate change, warmer ocean temperatures, and developing La Niña conditions.
FOX Weather emphasizes FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross’s analysis that flooding rain is “among the biggest concerns as it falls over the mountains and takes days to drain.” It includes images of storm preparations and early impacts, along with a quote from Minister of Labor and Social Security Pearnel Charles Jr., urging residents not to wait until it’s difficult to evacuate. It also explicitly mentions that Kingston, the capital, may not get the “worst” of the storm, but will still face significant effects.
EL PAÍS provides specific data from the Dominican Republic’s Emergency Operations Center (COE), detailing 202 affected homes, one road, one bridge, 28 cut-off towns, and one million homes without drinking water.
Contrasting Details
There are discrepancies in the reported number of fatalities for Haiti and the Dominican Republic:
NBC News reports 3 deaths in Haiti and 1 in the Dominican Republic.
FOX Weather reports 3 deaths in Haiti (2 from a landslide, 1 from a falling tree) and 3 deaths in the Dominican Republic.
EL PAÍS reports a provisional death toll of 4 in Haiti and 1 in the Dominican Republic.
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