Melissa Strengthens Into a Category 4 Hurricane, Threatening Catastrophic Flooding in Jamaica, Haiti

A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — A strengthening Melissa has grown into a Category 4 hurricane and U.S. forecasters say it could reach Category 5 status, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica. The U.S. National Hurricane Center added that Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately. Melissa was centered about 115 miles (185 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 295 miles (470 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantୡmo, Cuba. It had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph).