At 11 p.m. Eastern time, the storm's center was about 150 miles southwest of Kingston and moving north-northeast at 2 mph, according to the US National Hurricane Center. Its minimum central pressure was 903 millibars, a measure consistent with exceptional intensity. The hurricane had nearly stalled before beginning its slow movement, delaying the arrival of its core but prolonging the period of dangerous weather.
The center forecast 15 to 30 inches of rain across Jamaica, with isolated totals reaching 40 inches. Such rainfall could trigger life-threatening flash floods and numerous landslides, particularly after prolonged saturation. Mountain terrain could also amplify wind speeds well above those measured over open water. A dangerous storm surge threatened the southern coast.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged residents to remain indoors or use shelters and warned younger people not to underestimate a storm of this strength. All 881 public shelters were open. Officials said 218 people had entered shelters by Sunday night, though many still had substantial capacity. Residents boarded windows, secured supplies and prepared generators while crews responded to fallen trees and power outages in eastern areas.
Three people in Jamaica died in accidents while preparing for the hurricane, Health and Wellness Minister Christopher Tufton said. Officials urged residents not to climb roofs, cut trees or take other unnecessary risks as conditions worsened. Earlier storm impacts were also blamed for deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, bringing the regional toll reported in the supplied coverage to seven by Monday.
Melissa was forecast to cross Jamaica before moving over southeastern Cuba and then the southeastern or central Bahamas. Hurricane warnings were in effect for parts of Cuba and the Bahamas, while Haiti and the Dominican Republic also faced severe flood risks. Forecasters expected the storm to weaken after interacting with land, but it would remain dangerous.
The hurricane was the third Category 5 system of the 2025 Atlantic season and the latest such storm in the calendar since 1998. It was also described as the most powerful storm to threaten Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988. Those comparisons emphasized its rarity, but the immediate danger came from the forecast overlap of wind, water and slow forward motion.
Authorities said they had prepared as fully as possible. Their central message was straightforward: people in the storm's path should stay in secure shelter until the long period of hazardous conditions had passed.
