Hurricane Melissa explodes into Category 4 storm, expected to hit Jamaica
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Melissa went through rapid intensification on Saturday, jumping from a Category 2 to a Category 4 by early Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.
Melissa is moving west very slowly, only around 3 mph, and is now 110 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 280 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. It's expected to continue westward through Sunday before turning toward the north-northeast on Monday.
Forecast models have Melissa moving over Jamaica on Tuesday, across Cuba Tuesday night, and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
Because it's moving so slowly, the hurricane is expected to dump tons of rain on the area, with Jamaica and Hispaniola preparing for between 15 and 30 inches. Eastern Cuba is also forecast to get significant amounts of rain, likely between six and 12 inches through Wednesday.
The rain could cause life-threatening flash flooding and landslides across the region, as well as dangerous storm surge along the southern coast of Jamaica, NHC said.
Melissa is expected to continue strengthening, potentially reaching Category 5 intensity by Sunday night. While some fluctuations are possible, it's expected to make landfall in Jamaica as a major Category 4 hurricane.
Jamaica is under a hurricane warning while a hurricane watch has been issued for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti and the southeastern provinces of Cuba, including Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said on Sunday that the hurricane watch for Cuba could be upgraded to a warning later on Sunday.
Airports closed and shelters activated
The erratic and slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Jamaica’s government said the main airport in Montego Bay, Sangster International Airport, will shut down at midday local time on Sunday as the island’s national emergency agency activated its level 3 emergency protocol ahead of Melissa.
The biggest airport on the island, Norman Manley International Airport in the capital, Kingston, closed at 9 p.m. on Saturday.
“With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” warned Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” Richard Thompson, acting director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management said.
He said all members of the National Response Team are now on full alert.
More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages pre-positioned for quick distribution if needed.
Communities cut off by rising waters
Haitian authorities said three people had died as a consequence of the hurricane and another five were injured due to a collapsed wall. There were also reports of rising river levels, flooding and a bridge destroyed due to breached riverbanks in Sainte-Suzanne, in the northeast.
Many residents are still reluctant to leave their homes, Haitian officials said.
The storm damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights, unleashed a couple of small landslides and left more than two dozen communities isolated by floodwaters.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.