Powerful Hurricane Melissa strengthens as it heads for Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday (October 27, 2025) as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately.

Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic this week, as its outer bands brought heavy rains and landslides.

The storm is moving at a worryingly slow pace — just five miles (seven kilometres) an hour — meaning areas in its path could see punishing conditions for far longer than a hurricane that passes by more quickly.