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Melissa now Category 5 hurricane, catastrophic flooding looms in Caribbean | Key updates
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Hurricane Melissa could grow even stronger, reaching Category 5 status on Monday.
Intensifying to Category 5, Hurricane Melissa continued to strengthen on Monday carrying a threat to leave catastrophic flooding across parts of the northern Caribbean, including Jamaica and Haiti.
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the the storm reached Category 5 status on Monday.
Hurricanes are measured using the Saffir–Simpson hurricane wind scale (SSHWS) and their categories range from 1 to 5, based on sustained wind speeds, with higher numbers indicating stronger storms and greater potential for damage. Category 1 storms have winds from 74-95 mph, Category 2 have 96-110 mph, Category 3 have 111-130 mph, Category 4 have 131-155 mph, and Category 5 have winds over 155 mph.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) had previously predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.
Hurricane Melissa | Top updates
-Hurricane Melissa landfall: Hurricane Melissa is forecast to pass near or over Jamaica early Tuesday before sweeping across Cuba and into the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday. "Conditions [in Jamaica] are going to go down rapidly today," Associated Press news agency quoted Jamie Rhome, NHC's deputy director, on Sunday. "Be ready to ride this out for several days," he warned. The NHC projected storm surge heights could reach up to 13 feet (4 meters) above ground level near and east of Melissa's landfall point.
-Hurricane Melissa status: By Sunday night, Melissa was centered about 125 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and roughly 310 miles (495 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, moving west at 5 mph (7 kph). The hurricane packed sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph).
-Jamaica braces for impact: In Jamaica, preparations were in full swing Sunday. Both of the island's main airports - Norman Manley International in Kingston and Sangster International in Montego Bay - were closed, and residents in the seaside community of Old Harbour Bay were ordered to evacuate.
-Torrential rain warning: The NHC warned of torrential rainfall totaling up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) in Jamaica and southern Hispaniola - which includes Haiti and the Dominican Republic - with isolated areas potentially receiving as much as 40 inches (1 meter). The storm could cause "extensive damage to infrastructure, power and communication outages, and the isolation of communities," officials said.
-Hurricane Melissa expected to hit Cuba as well: Melissa is expected to reach Cuba by late Tuesday, dumping up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain before moving toward the Bahamas on Wednesday. The Cuban government has issued a hurricane warning for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, and Holguín, and a tropical storm warning for Las Tunas.
-Evacuations: Officials said that many people in flood-prone and low-lying areas were not complying with evacuation advisories. "All the more than 650 shelters in Jamaica are open," said Desmond McKenzie, who is leading the government's disaster response. Warehouses have been stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution, officials added.
-South Jamaica to bear brunt: Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, warned that the southern side of the island will bear the brunt of the storm surge. "There is potential [for] flooding in every parish of our country," Thompson said. "If you're in a flood-prone, low-lying area, you need to take note. If you're near a river course or a gully, you need to take special note and find some alternative location that you can move to should you be threatened by the heavy rainfall," he said.
-Death toll: Hurricane Melissa has already claimed at least four lives - three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Haitian authorities reported that three people died and five were injured after a wall collapsed. Rising rivers and flash floods destroyed a bridge in Sainte-Suzanne, cutting off access to parts of the northeast. Many residents have been reluctant to evacuate, officials said.
-Bahamas next in line: The Bahamas Department of Meteorology warned that tropical storm or hurricane conditions could reach the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands by early next week.
