Hurricane Melissa, which exploded into an extremely dangerous Category 5 cyclone as it moved across the Caribbean, made landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing catastrophic winds, storm surge, and prolonged torrential rains that forecasters say could reshape parts of the island for weeks to come. The hurricane is stronger than Katrina, an extremely powerful and devastating tropical cyclone that killed over a thousand people in 2005.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) described Melissa as “extremely dangerous” and warned that catastrophic winds and life-threatening flash flooding were occurring or imminent as the storm approached the coast. One of the reasons why it’s the fifth most devastating hurricanes in recent history is because it’s moving slowly, similar to Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which leaves heavy flooding behind, according to The New York Times.
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa, stronger than Katrina, hits Jamaica
Meteorologists said Hurricane Melissa had intensified rapidly in the days before impact and reached sustained winds on the order of a Category 5 hurricane. Aircraft reconnaissance and NHC analysis reported a very tight, well-defined eye and extremely low central pressure — indicators of an exceptionally powerful system — prompting forecasters to increase intensity estimates in recent advisories. Those data led analysts to set Melissa’s peak intensity at the high end of the scale, with central pressures well below typical major-hurricane values.
What this means for Jamaica is stark and immediate. A Category 5 landfall brings the potential for sustained winds capable of destroying poorly built structures, toppling large trees, downing power grids and ripping roofs from homes. Combined with a slow forward motion near landfall — which experts said could cause Melissa to linger over parts of the island — the storm’s outer bands were expected to dump extraordinary volumes of rain, producing catastrophic inland flooding and deadly landslides in Jamaica’s vulnerable interior and hill communities.
Kingston, Jamaica’s capital, reported floods, power outages, and a crash in communication. “It is definitely the worst natural disaster I’ve experienced,” told Colombia One a woman living in Kingston and who’s worried about her family: “My siblings live right where the eye of the storm is passing so I’m extremely worried about them,” she said.
An abnormal rise of water
Storm surge — the abnormal rise of water generated by a storm’s winds — is according to authorities one of the clearest and most immediate threats to low-lying coastal areas. Where the eyewall moves ashore, surge, and battering waves can inundate coastal communities, erode beaches and damage critical infrastructure such as ports, airports and seawalls, reports The Weather Channel.
Forecasters warned that surge could be life-threatening in several coastal parishes, and that Norman Manley International Airport and other coastal installations faced severe flooding.
The human and logistical toll is already considered even before the worst of Melissa hit. Jamaican authorities activated hundreds of shelters and urged mass evacuations from particularly exposed coastal and hillside neighborhoods.
International and local humanitarian groups — including Red Cross teams — mobilized pre-positioned supplies and prepared contingencies for large-scale emergency response, while emergency managers cautioned that communications and transport networks could be severed, complicating rescue and relief, AP News reported.
Officials and meteorologists repeatedly cautioned that damage would not be due to a single type of impact. The combination of catastrophic winds, prolonged torrential rain and major storm surge raises the prospect of compound disasters: Widespread structural damage and power outages, rivers overflowing their banks, urban and coastal flooding in low-lying districts, and mudslides in steep interior terrain. These compounded hazards are often the most dangerous because they can trap communities and delay relief for days.
Weak infrastructure leads to more vulnerability
Historical context heightens concern. Forecasters noted that Melissa threatened to be one of the most powerful storms to directly strike Jamaica in the observational record. For an island with many informal and poorly anchored structures, aging infrastructure, and communities built in flood-prone valleys and coastal flats, the consequences of a direct Category 5 strike could be both immediate and long-lasting — from widespread housing loss to multimillion-dollar hits to tourism, agriculture and transport.
Beyond immediate impacts, analysts warned of cascading economic and social effects. Jamaica’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism, agriculture and remittances, is vulnerable to even short interruptions in power, water, and transport. Damage to hotels, ports and agricultural land could depress arrivals and harvests for an entire season; road closures and landslides could isolate rural communities and make recovery costlier. Insurance penetration in the Caribbean often has limitations, meaning much rebuilding may fall on households and the public purse, says economy journal Bloomberg.
Scientists and policy experts also framed Melissa within a broader pattern: Storms in a warming world are, on average, getting stronger and wetter, and rapid intensification episodes have become more common. While no single event can be solely attributed to climate change without detailed attribution studies, the environment that allows a hurricane to explosively deepen — warmer sea surface temperatures and high ocean heat content — is consistent with long-term trends that increase the odds of very strong cyclones.
‘Shelters aren’t homes but can save lives’
As the eye approached, emergency messages were blunt and repetitive: Seek shelter now, heed evacuation orders, do not attempt to travel, and prepare for extended outages. For residents, the immediate priorities are life safety — moving inland or to higher ground if told, securing essentials like medication and clean water, and avoiding driving through floodwaters. For authorities, the twin tasks are rescue capacity and the rapid restoration of critical services once conditions permit: “Shelters aren’t homes but can save lives,” told local outlet the Jamaican Observer Kevin McIndoe, CEO of the St. Thomas Municipal Corporation.
After the storm passes, damage assessment and humanitarian needs will determine the scale of national and international response. Recovery — rebuilding homes, restoring electricity and water, reopening airports and ports, and clearing roads — often takes weeks to months, and the lowest-income and most isolated communities typically feel the effects longest.
For Jamaica, Melissa is not only an urgent emergency but also a reminder of the importance of resilient infrastructure, early warning systems and long-term planning to reduce vulnerability to extreme storms.
The coming hours and days will show how much of Melissa’s power was unleashed on Jamaica’s shores. For now, meteorologists, emergency responders and communities are bracing for the worst, and issuing the clearest possible message: This is not a drill.