Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall In New Hope, Westmoreland

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica, becoming the most powerful cyclone ever to impact the island.

According to the Meteorological Service of Jamaica (Met Service), the category-five hurricane made landfall on Tuesday (October 28) along the island’s southwestern coast near New Hope, Westmoreland, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 295 kilometres per hour (185 miles per hour).

Earlier on Tuesday, Principal Director of the Meteorological Services Branch in the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Evan Thompson, identified the southwestern coastline as the expected point of entry for the approaching hurricane.

“We did say that [when] the system… made landfall, it was expected to still be a category-five hurricane,” Mr. Thompson indicated.

He was speaking during a media briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), located at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) in Kingston.

Mr. Thompson further noted that the hurricane’s inner core, characterised by its most intense winds and rainfall, is expected to produce catastrophic impacts.

“That means it [would] cause life-threatening damage. There is very little that can stop a category-five hurricane. Regardless of where you are in the parish of Westmoreland or St. Elizabeth, if you are under the impact of those category five hurricane-force winds, you will be having significant difficulty, even with the infrastructure that is in the area,” he said, adding that persons should ensure that they are in the safest area possible.

Mr. Thompson also indicated that following landfall, the hurricane is expected to track north eastward, exiting the island through Trelawny.

“We do expect that it will gradually be reduced in strength as it moves over the island. It will fall to a category four, maybe, and possibly category three as it exits the country,” he stated.