Hurricane Melissa explodes into rare Category 5 threatening milllions

Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 status Monday as the ‘catastrophic’ storm barrels toward Jamaica, where it will likely make landfall.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has located Melissa about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 315 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160mph and was moving west at 3mph, the agency shared.

Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph.

The National Weather Service (NWS) issued a Tropical Storm warning for the US Monday morning, noting that the Southeast will experience rough seas and strong winds in offshore waters this week as the hurricane moves north.

Areas near east-central and northern Florida are expected to be impacted by Melissa, a low-pressure system, and an incoming cold front.

Hurricane Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history to have directly hit the small Caribbean nation.

Some local areas in eastern Jamaica could get 40 inches of rain, while western Haiti could get 16 inches, the NHC said.

‘Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,’ it warned.

Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service, said Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades.

‘Do not venture out of your safe shelter. Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday,’ the NHC said in a 5am ET update about Melissa.

Destructive winds, especially in the mountains, will begin by this evening, leading to extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities. 

‘Life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are expected along the southern coast through Tuesday.’

The storm has already dropped heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under red alert. 

Hurricane Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. 

Floodwaters have also cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said.

The NHC warned that eastern Cuba will feel impacts, saying: ‘Heavy rainfall with life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides is expected beginning today.

‘Life-threatening storm surge and damaging winds are expected late Tuesday and Tuesday night. Preparations should be rushed to completion.’

AccuWeather chief meteorologist Jon Porter noted that several vital facilities in Jamaica will be right in the path of the hurricane, potentially crippling recovery efforts once Melissa passes.

‘A key power plant, airport, shipping port, fuel terminal and water treatment plant all sit near the southern coast,’ Porter revealed in a statement.

The weather experts added that a storm surge between six and 10 feet could damage or destroy these areas on Tuesday. 

Meteorologists have also been monitoring the jet stream which cuts across the US to see how it will influence Melissa this week, potentially bringing the hurricane closer to the East Coast.

According to AccuWeather, if that natural U-shaped jet stream dips low enough into Florida, it could drag Melissa closer to the US as the storm moves into the Atlantic.

AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva, said: ‘At this time, the odds of “direct” rain and wind impacts from Melissa reaching the US East Coast are low.’

Current storm tracks have tightened to show Melissa keeping a straight path that will take it over Cuba, the Bahamas, and then straight to Bermuda by Friday.

Spaghetti models which previously showed a potential direct hit on the northeastern US have move farther out to sea. 

However, coastal communities could feel indirect impacts of the massive storm as it moves through the Atlantic, potentially bringing dangerous rip currents, rough surf, and flooding in some areas closest to the hurricane.

Melissa had been brewing in the Caribbean as a tropical storm all last week, being kept in check by strong wind gusts that hampered its development.

As those winds faded Saturday, the storm exploded into a major hurricane in just nine hours.

Melissa’s sustained winds increased by more than 100mph during that time.