What's happened
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is impacting Jamaica with winds of 175 mph, heavy rain, and storm surges. Evacuations are underway across Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas. The storm is the strongest to hit Jamaica in recorded history, causing fatalities and widespread damage. Authorities warn of catastrophic flooding and landslides.
What's behind the headline?
The storm's rapid intensification highlights the growing impact of climate change on hurricane behavior. The unprecedented strength and slow movement of Melissa will likely lead to catastrophic flooding, landslides, and infrastructure damage in Jamaica and neighboring countries. Governments' evacuation efforts reflect the severity, but the storm's intensity suggests significant ongoing risks. The storm's trajectory and slow pace increase the likelihood of prolonged exposure to destructive winds and rain, making recovery efforts more complex. This event underscores the urgent need for climate resilience planning in the Caribbean, as such storms are expected to become more frequent and severe.
What the papers say
Al Jazeera reports that Jamaica is experiencing its most powerful storm in history, with winds reaching 295 km/h and rainfall exceeding 70 centimeters. The Independent notes Melissa's rapid intensification driven by warming ocean waters, making it the strongest storm to hit Jamaica since 174 years of recordkeeping. The NY Post emphasizes the storm's potential to cause widespread devastation, with storm surges up to 13 feet and at least seven deaths across the Caribbean. All sources agree on the storm's unprecedented strength and the critical need for evacuations and international support.
How we got here
Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensified from a tropical storm to a Category 5 storm over the weekend, driven by abnormally warm ocean waters linked to climate change. It is the fifth most intense Atlantic hurricane on record and the strongest to hit Jamaica since records began in 1851. The storm's development follows a pattern of increasing hurricane strength due to rising sea temperatures, which fuel faster intensification and heavier rainfall.
Go deeper
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Jamaica is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning 10,990 square kilometres in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean.
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Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has served as Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, having previously served from 2011 to 2012, and as leader of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) since 2011.
Holness previousl
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Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is a country comprising the island of Cuba as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located in the northern Caribbean where the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic Ocean meet.