Hurricane Melissa Bears Down on Jamaica as Category 5 Storm — Officials Warn of ‘Catastrophic’ Impact

Jamaica is on high alert as Hurricane Melissa — now a Category 5 storm — roars toward the island with potentially record-breaking force. Forecasters warn it could be the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the Caribbean nation.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the monster storm, packing sustained winds of up to 160 mph (260 km/h), was about 135 miles (220 km) southwest of Kingston by midday Monday and is expected to strengthen further before making landfall tonight or early Tuesday.

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered mandatory evacuations in several high-risk communities, while officials have activated all 881 emergency shelters across the island. “No one should underestimate the danger. Lives are at risk,” Holness said in a televised address.

The NHC described Melissa as “extremely dangerous,” warning of catastrophic flooding, deadly winds, and life-threatening storm surges as it approaches Jamaica’s southern coast. Up to 40 inches (100 cm) of rainfall is expected in some areas over the next four days — an amount experts say could trigger devastating landslides and flash floods.

Waves as high as rooftops are already battering coastal towns, with storm surges predicted to worsen overnight. Residents of Kingston and Port Royal spent the weekend fortifying homes and businesses with sandbags, bracing for what could be an unprecedented di

Hurricane Melissa has already wreaked havoc on the island of Hispaniola, where at least four people have died — three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic — as torrential rain flooded streets and swept vehicles away.

A 13-year-old boy remains missing in the Dominican Republic after being pulled into rough seas. Emergency teams continue rescue efforts amid widespread power outages and road closures.

If it continues on its current path, the hurricane’s core will pass directly over Jamaica tonight before moving across southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night and the Bahamas on Wednesday, according to NHC projections.

Forecasters warn that Melissa’s slow movement could make its impact even more severe. “The slower the storm, the longer the rainfall — and that’s what makes it deadly,” said one meteorologist.

With the entire island now classified as “threatened,” Jamaica faces one of the gravest natural disasters in its history.