Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica as Category 5 Monster Storm Approaches Landfall

Hurricane Melissa has officially become a Category 5 monster, hammering Jamaica with extreme winds and rain as the island braces for a direct hit unlike anything it has ever experienced. With sustained winds of 165 mph, the storm is now the strongest hurricane ever recorded in Jamaica’s history, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

As of Monday afternoon, Melissa was just 145 miles southwest of Kingston and creeping forward at a dangerously slow pace only 3 mph. That slow motion over unusually warm Caribbean waters has supercharged the storm, setting the stage for a multi-day catastrophe.

“This will result in extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities,” the NHC warned.

Melissa is expected to take a north-northeast turn, moving directly through Jamaica late Monday into Tuesday, before continuing on toward Cuba, the eastern Bahamas, and Turks and Caicos. Though it will stay offshore of the U.S., the storm could still generate dangerous surf and minor coastal flooding along parts of the East Coast.

Veteran meteorologists in Jamaica are calling this unprecedented, with no Category 5 hurricane ever directly striking the island in recorded history.

• Up to 3 feet of rain is forecast for Jamaica

• Winds topping 165 mph are already hitting coastal regions

• The Blue Mountains and other rural areas are already cut off due to flooding and debris

• Widespread outages of power and communication are expected to last for days possibly weeks

“We’re scared. We’ve never seen a multi-day event like this before,” said Damian Anderson, a teacher from Hagley Gap.

As the storm continues its path, Cuba’s eastern provinces are now under full emergency protocols. Over 500,000 people have been evacuated, with 250,000 placed in shelters around Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city.

The Cuban government has cancelled all schools, public transportation, and rail services across the eastern half of the island. Although Havana is expected to be spared a direct hit, Santiago and Guantánamo are directly in the path of Melissa’s next landfall.

This is more than just a weather event it’s a geopolitical and humanitarian crisis in the making. The Biden administration has remained largely silent as American allies in the Caribbean face what could be the most destructive storm in regional history.

And where is FEMA? Where is international coordination? With the U.S. focused on foreign aid in Ukraine and climate activism summits, the silence on a Category 5 hurricane leveling an entire island nation just miles off our southern border is deafening.

This is a storm that will test not just infrastructure, but leadership.

As Jamaica braces for the worst and Cuba scrambles to prepare, the world watches and waits for meaningful help.

Stay informed, share this with others, and subscribe to our newsletter for updates as Hurricane Melissa unfolds across the Caribbean.