Skip next section Hurricane Melissa weakens to a category 3 storm
10/29/2025October 29, 2025
Hurricane Melissa weakens to a category 3 storm
Hurricane Melissa weakened and has reached Cuba as a major storm early Wednesday .
According to Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel more than 700,000 people have been evacuated.
Forecasters warned that the now Category 3 storm could cause in Santiago de Cuba and surrounding areas.
Hurricane warnings were issued for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas, as well as parts of the southeastern and central Bahamas.
https://p.dw.com/p/52jp4
Skip next section As it approaches Cuba, Melissa is strengthening again
10/29/2025October 29, 2025
As it approaches Cuba, Melissa is strengthening again
The US National Hurricane Center said Hurricane Melissa restrengthened to a Category 4 storm as it picked up speed over the Caribbean Sea and approached eastern .
It took the storm hours to cross Jamaica. This land passage diminished its winds, dropping it to a Category 3 — down from the maximum Category 5 — before it ramped back up to a Category 4.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Andrew Holness declared the island a “disaster area,” and authorities warned residents to shelter in place due to the continued risk of flooding and landslides as dangerous weather persisted, even after the worst of the hurricane had passed.
https://p.dw.com/p/52jWx
Skip next section WATCH: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
WATCH: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica and has been downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane.
With wind speed reaching 295 kilometers per hour, it is the strongest-ever storm to directly hit the Caribbean nation of 2.8 million people.
https://p.dw.com/p/52jNS
Skip next section Cubans flee ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s arrival10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Cubans flee ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s arrival
US weather officials said the center of Hurricane Melissa moved off Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon and headed for .
“Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds are likely to begin later today” in eastern Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory.
Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the Communist-run island in the early hours of Wednesday.
https://p.dw.com/p/52jJZ
Skip next section Melissa is now a Category 4 hurricane
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Melissa is now a Category 4 hurricane
Melissa is losing some strength, but it remains an “extremely dangerous” hurricane as it’s moving across northwestern Jamaica, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
As of 16:00. ET (20:00 UTC), Melissa is a Category 4 hurricane with winds of 150 mph (240 km/h).
https://p.dw.com/p/52jFF
Skip next section Officials warn of displaced crocodiles after Hurricane Melissa
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Officials warn of displaced crocodiles after Hurricane Melissa
Jamaican health officials warned residents to stay alert for crocodiles that may have been displaced by Hurricane Melissa.
“Rising water levels in rivers, gullies, and swamps could cause crocodiles to move into residential areas,” posted the South East Regional Health Authority (SERHA) on Instagram.
“Residents living near these areas are therefore advised to remain vigilant and avoid flood-waters,” it added.
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Skip next section Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Melissa is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history
Here are some of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record:
Hurricane Allen (1980)
The strongest Atlantic storm ever recorded by wind speed, Hurricane Allen claimed over 200 lives in Haiti before moving toward Texas in 1980. Its sustained winds peaked at 190 mph (305 km/h) but weakened before landfall.
Hurricane Melissa (2025)
Crashing into Jamaica with 185 mph (295 km/h) winds, tied the record for the strongest speeds by an Atlantic storm while making landfall.
Hurricane Dorian (2019)
as the strongest hurricane ever to strike the country, packing sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h).
Hurricane Wilma (2005)
Wilma rapidly intensified into a Category 5 storm and reached estimated sustained winds around 185 mph (295 km/h). It slammed into Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula before striking South Florida.
Hurricane Gilbert (1988)
Gilbert reached sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and set the then-record lowest pressure in the Atlantic, leaving a trail of destruction across Jamaica and Mexico.
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Skip next section Around 6,000 people in shelter — Jamaican authorities
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Around 6,000 people in shelter — Jamaican authorities
Roughly 6,000 people in Jamaica were sheltering in 382 emergency centers as Hurricane Melissa slammed into the island Tuesday, according to authorities.
Despite repeated evacuation warnings, Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council, expressed concern that few residents in high-risk areas such as Saint Elizabeth Parish in the south were using the shelters.
Officials estimate that more than 50,000 people may need to temporarily leave their homes due to the storm’s destruction.
The Jamaican government has launched a website called Support Jamaica to provide residents with up-to-date information.
https://p.dw.com/p/52jDn
Skip next section FIRST PICTURES: Hurricane Melissa’s landfall
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
FIRST PICTURES: Hurricane Melissa’s landfall
https://p.dw.com/p/52j9l
Skip next section Hurricane Melissa’s path: Where is it headed after Jamaica?
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Hurricane Melissa’s path: Where is it headed after Jamaica?
After making landfall in Jamaica, Melissa is expected to remain a strong hurricane as it crosses eastern Cuba and strikes the and Turks and Caicos by Wednesday.
In , authorities said that around 500,000 people had been evacuated from areas vulnerable to winds and flooding.
Meanwhile, Bahamian Prime Minister Philip Davis has issued evacuations for people in the eastern and southern parts of the archipelago.
https://p.dw.com/p/52j40
Skip next section Families shelter in place as Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Families shelter in place as Hurricane Melissa batters Jamaica
Despite the government ordering evacuations in flood-prone areas, Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps adviser based near the capital, Kingston, said most families were sheltering in place.
“Many have never experienced anything like this before, and the uncertainty is frightening,” he said. “There is profound fear of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement.”
Experts have predicted that the damage from Melissa could rival that of .
Before landfall, more than 240,000 people were already without power, and about one-fourth of the telecommunications system was offline, according to Transport and Energy Minister Darryl Vaz.
Vaz said crews would clean and test the island’s two major international airports, which sit close to sea level, on Wednesday to allow emergency relief flights to arrive as soon as Thursday.
https://p.dw.com/p/52j3Z
Skip next section Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday — the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island since records were first kept 174 years ago.
Devastating winds, torrential flooding, and storm surges were already battering Jamaica ahead of the storm.
https://p.dw.com/p/52ijo
Skip next section Jamaica’s tourism minister reassures visitors on the island
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
Jamaica’s tourism minister reassures visitors on the island
“The safety and security of our visitors are paramount,” said Jamaica’s Tourism Minister Edmund Bartlett in a statement posted on X by Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
It added that around 25,000 visitors are on the island. Those needing to extend their stay are offered “distress rates,” and shelter options are also available.
Jamaica’s two main international airports, the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, remain closed, but will reopen “as soon as conditions permit.”
https://p.dw.com/p/52ijm
Skip next section IN PICTURES: What Jamaica looks like as Melissa approaches
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
IN PICTURES: What Jamaica looks like as Melissa approaches
https://p.dw.com/p/52ibu
Skip next section WATCH: Is climate change driving the rise of monstrous superstorms?
10/28/2025October 28, 2025
WATCH: Is climate change driving the rise of monstrous superstorms?
Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 superstorm, is threatening to cause devastating damage across the Caribbean. Climate scientist Dr. Friederike Otto from London’s Imperial College says warming temperatures are making powerful storms like this more intense and more frequent.
https://p.dw.com/p/52ibY
The post Hurricane Melissa weakens to a category 3 storm before reaching Cuba appeared first on Deutsche Welle.
