Kingston: Hurricane Melissa, which is moving through the Caribbean, has become the most powerful storm of the year, with several countries in the region already affected and deaths reported. Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean has strengthened to a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds of 282 kilometers per hour (178 mph), making it the most powerful tropical storm of 2025. It is expected to make landfall in Jamaica early Tuesday morning local time. At current wind speeds, Melissa will be the most powerful storm to hit Jamaica since records began in 1851.
According to Thai News Agency, Jamaican authorities are on high alert, ordering evacuations from parts of Kingston due to the risk of deadly flooding and landslides after heavy rains in October saturated the soil. Evacuations have also been ordered for several coastal communities at risk of flooding, and canals are being dredged to reduce the risk of flooding. Although the storm has yet to make landfall, it is already affecting several countries in the Caribbean, with three deaths reported in Jamaica.
Haiti has also been hit, with at least three deaths reported and hundreds of homes flooded. In the Dominican Republic, one person has died: a 79-year-old man was swept away by strong currents in Santo Domingo. A 13-year-old boy was also reported to have been swept away by waves while swimming in the sea.
Cuba is among the countries bracing for Hurricane Melissa. More than 250,000 people in Santiago de Cuba, the second largest city, have been evacuated to shelters, while more than 500,000 people in the eastern coastal and mountainous areas have also been evacuated. Authorities have ordered the closure of schools and the suspension of all transportation in the eastern region.