by Worthy News Washington D.C. Bureau Staff
KINGSTON, JAMAICA (Worthy News) – The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Sunday that Hurricane Melissa could intensify into a Category 5 hurricane before making landfall on Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday.
The storm was already a Category 4 by Sunday morning, packing sustained winds of 140 mph (225 km/h) and moving slowly westward toward Jamaica’s southern coast at just 5 mph (8 km/h). The NHC projected that winds could reach 160 mph (257 km/h) by Monday morning.
Officials said the storm’s sluggish pace could worsen flooding. The center of the hurricane remained about 110 miles south of Kingston as of Sunday afternoon, but tropical-storm-force winds extended more than 170 miles from the eye.
“Jamaica: seek shelter now,” the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. advisory. “Damaging winds and heavy rainfall today and Monday will cause catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides before potentially devastating winds arrive Monday night and Tuesday morning.”
Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared Jamaica a “threatened area” under the nation’s Disaster Risk Management Act on Friday, allowing the government to mobilize emergency resources and freeze prices on essential goods such as food, water, and medicine.
“By declaring Jamaica a threatened area, we are activating the legal tools to move resources quickly, safeguard critical services, and protect the most vulnerable,” Holness said in a statement.
The NHC also issued warnings for southern Hispaniola, including parts of Haiti’s Tiburon Peninsula, where flash flooding and landslides are expected through midweek. Portions of Cuba, the Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos are under alert as the storm is projected to track northeast across the region after crossing Jamaica.
Meteorologists warned that some parts of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola could receive 15 to 30 inches of rain, with isolated areas seeing up to 40 inches, leading to “extensive infrastructural damage, long-duration power and communication outages, and isolation of communities.”
Hurricane Melissa is expected to reach its peak strength Monday night before slightly weakening as it passes over land and moves toward Cuba and the Bahamas later in the week.
Copyright 1999-2025 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Egyptian Christians facing religious-based violence and discrimination are increasingly relying on underground safe houses as authorities continue to fall short on protecting minority rights, Christian advocates say.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced plans Tuesday to overhaul the U.S. military’s Chaplain Corps, arguing the institution has drifted from its original mission and lost the “faith and virtue” that defined it when it was established under George Washington more than 250 years ago.
The United States has approved $11.1 billion in new arms-sales packages for Taiwan, signaling continued security support for the island even as President Donald Trump’s administration emphasizes trade and economic engagement with China, The Wall Street Journal reported.
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation late Wednesday night that would criminalize gender transition treatments for minors, marking a significant victory for conservatives who argue the federal government must step in to protect children from irreversible medical procedures.
The U.S. House passed the Lower Health Care Premiums for All Americans Act in a party line, 216-211, vote Wednesday, sending the bill to its likely demise in the Senate.
A day before President Donald Trump is set to address the nation, he releases an ominous social media post warning Venezuela, saying the country is “completely surrounded.”
The Trump administration is again saying Mexico will comply with a water treaty after claiming it would earlier this year and seven months later it still hadn’t.