Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica braces for world’s strongest storm of 2025
Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica braces for world's strongest storm of 202539 minutes agoShareSaveVanessa Buschschlüter and Jaroslav LukivShareSaveWatch: Satellite video shows Hurricane Melissa intensifying near JamaicaJamaica is bracing for the strongest storm of the year, with US meteorologists warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening winds, flooding, and storm surge”.
With wind speeds of up to 175mph (282km/h), Hurricane Melissa is a category five storm – the maximum strength. It is expected to make landfall on the Caribbean island in the early hours of Tuesday.
The storm has already been blamed for the deaths of four people in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Meteorologists warn that Melissa's slow pace means it is set to dump torrential rain on affected areas for longer, increasing the risk of deadly flooding and landslides.
Watch: Jamaicans and Cubans prepare for Hurricane MelissaThe latest data from the US-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) shows that in terms of ma..
