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 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
Latest News from Worthy News
Dutch authorities have foiled a planned attack on a building housing a synagogue and school in the western town of Heemstede, detaining two teenagers suspected of preparing an explosion or arson with terrorist intent, officials said.
Israel has carried out a rare and far-reaching military strike on Iran’s Caspian Sea port of Bandar Anzali, targeting a logistics hub used by Russia and Iran to transport weapons, according to the Wall Street Journal..
The partial government shutdown stretched into its 39th day Tuesday as Senate Democrats rejected a Republican-backed plan to reopen the Department of Homeland Security, drawing sharp criticism from conservatives who argue politics is being placed ahead of national security.
Louisville, Kentucky has agreed to pay $800,000 in attorney’s fees to Christian photographer Chelsey Nelson following her legal victory over the city’s public accommodations law, which had required her to photograph same-sex weddings if she offered services for traditional marriages.
Israeli intelligence assessments indicate Hezbollah has been significantly weakened, losing an estimated 85% of its missile arsenal since the war ignited by Hamas’ October 7 massacre. The Iranian-backed terror group is now believed to possess between 11,000 and 13,000 rockets—roughly one-sixth of its pre-war stockpile.
U.S. President Donald Trump said Tuesday that the ongoing conflict with Iran has already resulted in what he described as a “regime change,” signaling a dramatic shift in leadership dynamics within the Iranian government as Washington presses forward with negotiations to end hostilities.
Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz announced Tuesday that Israeli forces plan to occupy southern Lebanon up to the Litani River, outlining a strategy to create a “defensive buffer” amid ongoing conflict with the Iranian-backed Hezbollah terrorist organization.