A giant with titanic strength approaches her Jamaica: o typhoon Melissa, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami, is moving slowly toward the island at about 5 kph. Its winds reach the 260 km/hplacing him at higher level of the Saffir-Simpson scale.
The typhoon is expected to strengthen further before hitting Jamaica on Tuesday morning (28.10.2025). It is the strongest hurricane on record in the Caribbean since Gilbert in 1988.
Forecasters warn the storm could cause catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and severe infrastructure damage. Some areas of eastern Jamaica are expected to receive up to one meter of rain — more than they normally receive in an entire year.
This incredible video shows the Sun starting to rise above Hurricane Melissa as the monster Category 5 hurricane slowly spins to the south of Jamaica on Monday morning, with a catastrophic landfall expected sometime on Tuesday morning. More: https://t.co/XpskxGUpSt pic.twitter.com/eMEp7LcQbZ
— FOX Weather (@foxweather) October 27, 2025
Hurricane Melissa brings strong winds and rough seas to Jamaica
Follow: https://t.co/7Dg3b41hTx pic.twitter.com/vsaoBuqFzi
— PressTV Extra (@PresstvExtra) October 27, 2025
Emergency appeal from Jamaican authorities
The government in Jamaica has opened all 881 shelters in the country, many of which have already begun to fill up with hundreds of citizens. “Many communities in Jamaica will not survive these floods,” warned Local Government and Community Development Minister Desmond Mackenzie. Residents are shielding their homes, refueling and stocking up on food and water.
The eye of the cyclone was located about 215 kilometers southwest of Kingston on Monday morning. Melissa is expected to pass over southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night and then over the Bahamas on Wednesday, gradually weakening to a Category 2 storm.
Melissa is the third Category 5 hurricane of this season, which has not happened since 2005. It is also the latest category 5 hurricane since Mitch in 1998. The NHC warned that winds in mountainous areas could exceed 320 km/hfurther increasing the risk to residents.
Already dead in the Caribbean
The hurricane has already killed at least four people: three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. The two countries, along with Cuba, are bracing for heavy rain, flooding and mudslides, while a hurricane warning has also been issued for the southeastern part of the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The US National Hurricane Center called on the population of Jamaica to take shelter immediately and remain there until Tuesday, warning of a natural disaster of historic proportions.