Eye of Hurricane Melissa exits Jamaica, heads towards Cuba

Hurricane Melissa’s winds dipped to a still “powerful” Category 4, as the eye of the storm passed over Jamaica with historic ferocity and barrelled towards Cuba.

The US National Hurricane Center said on Tuesday that Melissa had made landfall near the town of New Hope, 62 km (39 miles) south of Montego Bay, packing maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph), which are considered to be above the minimum strength of a Category 5 storm.

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The “storm of the century”, as it was dubbed by the World Meteorological Organisation (WMO), has wreaked havoc across the Caribbean, bringing days of torrential downpours to nearby Haiti and the Dominican Republic, causing seven deaths in the Caribbean – three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.

“Melissa remains a powerful Category 4 hurricane over Northwestern Jamaica,” the US National Hurricane Center said in its latest advisory. “This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation!”

The hurricane had hit Jamaica with a Category 5 rating, as forecasters predicted it would likely cause “catastrophic” flash flooding, landslides and widespread damage. WMO cyclone specialist Anne-Claire Fontan predicted that rainfall was set to exceed 700mm (27.5 inches) – about twice the amount expected in an average rainy season.

Desmond McKenzie, a local government minister, told Al Jazeera that the island nation had done everything possible to protect itself. “We are prepared, but I don’t know if we can be prepared for a Category 5 hurricane,” he said, adding that last year’s Hurricane Beryl had caused “extensive damage”.

Leiska Powell, an emergency services manager with the Red Cross in Jamaica, told Al Jazeera that “stronger winds, more rains, and also some significant damage to the western side of the country” were expected.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is warning that at least 1.5 million people in Jamaica alone may experience the repercussions of Hurricane Melissa.

Robian Williams, a journalist for the Kingston-based radio station NationWide Radio 90FM, told Al Jazeera that the wind gusts had “toppled trees and downed power lines”.

“Many of us here are out of electricity. First responders are actually out on the road just trying to clear the blockade,” she said.

Some 25,000 tourists are currently on the island. As they ride out the storm, the office of Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said that hoteliers are offering “distress rates” and shelter spaces for those stranded.

Holness said Jamaica had received calls of support from the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom and France, as well as other Caribbean nations.

Jens Laerke, spokesperson for the UN humanitarian agency, OCHA, said the top priority was “to save as many lives as possible”.

“When you have massive flooding, one of the biggest problems is water”, he said, warning of “all kinds of health risks and epidemic risks” without clean water.

Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority issued a crocodile alert, warning on Instagram that large reptiles displaced by rapidly rising waters in rivers, gullies and swamps could “move into residential areas”.

Next stop: Cuba

The extremely violent hurricane has been barreling across the Caribbean, with winds of nearly 300km/h (185mph) recorded, making it the most powerful tropical storm recorded this year globally, according to an AFP analysis of US weather data.

It is predicted to move east towards Cuba through Wednesday as a Category 4 storm. Evacuation efforts have begun in anticipation, with reports on social media and state television showing buses transporting people to shelters.

Officials said evacuations were under way for more than 600,000 people from coastal areas, including Santiago, the island’s second-largest city. Authorities in the eastern Cuban province of Holguin will be evacuating more than 200,000 people. A similar number of people are also being moved to safety from the eastern town of Banes.

“This phenomenon is very dangerous,” Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez said in a statement from Banes, where he was located in what appeared to be a shelter. “It is unprecedented.”

People evacuate before the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Canizo, a community in Santiago de Cuba, October 28, 2025 [Ramón Espinosa/AP Photo]

A hurricane warning has been declared for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguin, while a tropical storm warning is in effect for Las Tunas.

Forecasters expect up to 510mm (20 inches) of rain for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.

Melissa has also drenched the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical storm warning still in effect for Haiti.

The hurricane was forecast to turn northeast after Cuba and strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.

The storm has plodded along at a pace slower than many people walk, hovering at 5km/h (3mph) before picking up slightly to 7km/h (4mph) this morning.

Meteorologists say this is particularly dangerous. “Slow-moving major hurricanes often go down in history as some of the deadliest and most destructive storms on record,” said AccuWeather’s chief meteorologist, Jonathan Porter.

“This is a dire situation unfolding in slow motion.”