Hurricane Melissa live: Jamaica braces for most powerful storm with 160mph winds forecast

Jamaica braces for Hurricane Melissa as it upgrades to Category 4

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Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
Map: Path of Hurricane Melissa as Jamaica braces for impact
Photos show Hurricane Melissa’s impact on the Carribean

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Evening Headlines

Jamaica is bracing for what could be the most intense storm in its history as Hurricane Melissa rapidly approaches with powerful Category 5 winds.

The hurricane is expected to gather speed and batter the Caribbean country with up to 76 centimetres (30 inches) of rain when it makes landfall on Tuesday.

“Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami has warned.

At least four people have already died, including three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. One person remains missing.

Maximum sustained winds are expected to reach 150 mph (240km/h) in Jamaica.

“Many of these communities will not survive this flooding,” local government minister, Desmond McKenzie, said at a press conference on Monday. “Kingston is low, extremely low. No community in Kingston is immune from flooding.”

Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said that the force of the storm was unprecedented.

“We’ve heard the rainfall numbers. They’re numbers we’ve never heard before,” he said.

Map: Path of Hurricane Melissa as Jamaica braces for impact

A graphic showing the probable path of Tropical Storm Melissa (National Hurricane Center)

Maira Butt27 October 2025 09:05

Photos show Hurricane Melissa’s impact on the Carribean

Clouds over Kingston, Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)A man fortifies his roof ahead of the storm (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)Speeds are expected to reach 150mph (REUTERS)