Tropical Storm Melissa has killed at least four people while moving toward hurricane status, with three fatalities in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. The system threatened catastrophic flooding as forecasters predicted some areas in southwest Haiti could receive 35 inches of rainfall by Monday. Jamaica and the southern portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic faced potential accumulations of up to 25 inches through early next week.
The storm sat 160 miles southeast of Kingston on Saturday with 70 mph winds while moving west-northwest at 1 mph. Meteorologists expected rapid strengthening within 24 hours, which could push Melissa to major hurricane status by Sunday and possibly to Category 4 intensity on Monday morning. Officials issued hurricane warnings for Jamaica and placed Haiti's southwestern peninsula under a hurricane watch as the system prepared to pass near Jamaica before reaching eastern Cuba by Wednesday.
Jamaican authorities planned to close airports within 1 day of the hurricane warning taking effect and to open more than 650 emergency shelters. The Dominican Republic reported nearly 200 damaged homes and water service disruptions affecting over 500,000 residents. Melissa became the 13th named storm in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
The storm sat 160 miles southeast of Kingston on Saturday with 70 mph winds while moving west-northwest at 1 mph. Meteorologists expected rapid strengthening within 24 hours, which could push Melissa to major hurricane status by Sunday and possibly to Category 4 intensity on Monday morning. Officials issued hurricane warnings for Jamaica and placed Haiti's southwestern peninsula under a hurricane watch as the system prepared to pass near Jamaica before reaching eastern Cuba by Wednesday.
Jamaican authorities planned to close airports within 1 day of the hurricane warning taking effect and to open more than 650 emergency shelters. The Dominican Republic reported nearly 200 damaged homes and water service disruptions affecting over 500,000 residents. Melissa became the 13th named storm in the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.
