Jamaica: Tropical Storm Melissa continued its slow but devastating march across the northern Caribbean on Friday, leaving at least four people dead and threatening Jamaica and Haiti with catastrophic flooding and hurricane-force winds in the coming days.
The storm, which has already battered Haiti and the Dominican Republic, is expected to strengthen into a major hurricane by late Saturday or Sunday, according to the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC). Melissa is forecast to make landfall across central Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing torrential rainfall and life-threatening conditions.
Moving at just 5 kilometres per hour (3.1 miles per hour), Melissa’s sluggish pace means parts of Jamaica could experience hurricane conditions for more than 72 hours. Forecasters have warned that southwestern Haiti could receive up to 89 centimetres (35 inches) of rain, raising fears of flash floods and landslides.
Authorities in Haiti confirmed three deaths, two from a landslide in Port-au-Prince and another after a tree fell in the town of Marigot. In the Dominican Republic, one person was killed and another reported missing. Nearly 200 homes have been damaged, and more than half a million residents are without access to clean water.
In the Dominican capital, Santo Domingo, the Los Ríos neighbourhood was inundated late Thursday when nearby streams overflowed, forcing families to flee their homes. More than two dozen communities across the country remain cut off by floodwaters, prompting widespread evacuations and school closures.
10/25 5am EDT Key Messages for Tropical Storm #Melissa, which is forecast to begin rapidly intensifying today. Extremely heavy rain will cause life-threatening catastrophic flash flooding for portions of #Haiti, #Jamaica, and #Dominican Republic. Preparations in Jamaica should… pic.twitter.com/39CkOalbbV
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 25, 2025
Jamaica’s Meteorological Service principal director, Evan Thompson, urged residents to prepare for the storm’s double effect, warning that winds would intensify as the eye passes and shift direction rapidly on both sides of the storm’s centre.
The forecast marks a major change from earlier this week, when meteorologists considered landfall unlikely. In anticipation, Jamaican authorities have prepared more than 650 emergency shelters and said airports will close once a hurricane warning is issued.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness appealed for vigilance, calling the storm a serious threat. “Take all measures to protect yourself,” he said in a national address.
The situation remains especially dire in Haiti, where thousands displaced by gang violence are now seeking refuge in overcrowded, makeshift shelters with little protection from the storm. “I’m dealing with two storms—the gangs and the weather,” said Port-au-Prince resident Nephtali Johnson Pierre.
The NHC said Jamaica and southern Haiti could see rainfall totals of up to 64 centimetres (25 inches) through Tuesday, with the Tiburon Peninsula possibly facing even higher amounts. Melissa is also projected to strike eastern Cuba as a major hurricane by Wednesday.
