Jamaica prepares for Hurricane Melissa
FOX 13 Meteorologist Nash Rose has the latest information on Hurricane Melissa.
Fox – 13 News
Hurricane Melissa is expected to strengthen into a Category 5 storm, bringing damaging winds, storm surge and “catastrophic flooding” to Jamaica during the day, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The Hurricane Center announced in an advisory at 2:00 p.m. ET on October 27 that Melissa is located approximately 145 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph and higher gusts. Jamaican authorities have evacuated low-lying areas and opened hundreds of shelters in preparation for a “life-threatening” storm.
According to the Hurricane Center, Melissa’s center is expected to pass over Jamaica tonight and early Tuesday, October 28th, cross southeastern Cuba by Tuesday night, and cross the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday, October 29th.
Forecasters say there will likely be some fluctuations in strength before Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, but the hurricane center said the storm is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as a “very strong major hurricane” and will maintain hurricane strength as it passes through the southeastern Bahamas.
“Preparations to protect life and property have been completed in Jamaica and should be completed quickly in Cuba,” forecasters said in their advisory.
Hurricane Melissa path tracking device
This forecast track shows the most likely path of the storm’s center. This does not indicate the full width of the storm or its impact, and the center of the storm can move outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
hurricane melissa spaghetti model
Illustrations include a variety of predictive tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five best-performing models to make predictions..
‘Devastating’ flash floods predicted for Jamaica, Cuba, storm surge
A hurricane warning is currently in effect for Jamaica and the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin, and a hurricane watch for the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
The Hurricane Center said Melissa is expected to bring rainfall totals of 15 to 30 inches to parts of Jamaica through Wednesday, October 29, with additional rainfall totals of 8 to 16 inches in southern Hispaniola. Forecasters said “catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides” were likely.
In eastern Cuba, rainfall totals of 10 to 15 inches, with localized precipitation nearing 20 inches, are expected from Monday, Oct. 27 to Wednesday, Oct. 29, resulting in “life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides,” the hurricane center said.
In addition, forecasters said life-threatening storm surge is likely to occur along Jamaica’s south coast from Monday night until Tuesday, October 28, with peak storm surge heights potentially reaching 9 to 13 feet above ground level. According to the NHC, storm surges are accompanied by “large and destructive waves.” Significant storm surge is also possible along Cuba’s southeast coast late Tuesday through Wednesday, October 29, with peak storm surge heights potentially reaching 6 to 9 feet above normal tide levels.
How do hurricanes form?
Hurricanes are formed over warm water in the tropics. Thunderstorms can form over the ocean when water temperatures exceed 80 degrees. If conditions are right, the cluster will swirl into a storm known as a tropical wave or tropical cyclone.
A tropical cyclone becomes a named tropical cyclone when its sustained wind speed reaches 39 miles per hour. When wind speeds reach 114 miles per hour, a storm officially becomes a hurricane.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Gabe Hauari is USA TODAY’s national trends news reporter. You can follow him at X @gabehauari Or email Gdhauari@gannett.com.
