MxM News

Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica on Tuesday morning as a ferocious Category 5 storm, becoming the most powerful system ever to strike the island in 174 years of recordkeeping. The eye of the hurricane made landfall near St. Elizabeth Parish on the southern coast, bringing catastrophic winds, torrential rain, and life-threatening storm surges before beginning its projected path across the island toward St. Ann Parish in the north.

The storm had already proven deadly across the Caribbean, blamed for at least seven deaths—three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic—while another person remains missing. Even before landfall, landslides, uprooted trees, and widespread blackouts had been reported, with emergency officials warning that the full scope of destruction may take days to assess.

Witness the raw power of nature as a U.S. Air Force pilot navigates through the eye wall of Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds sweeping across Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. The accompanying image captures the storm's mesmerizing eye, where life… pic.twitter.com/JtKMOyJ4ku

— SanaviNet (@Sanavi1009) October 28, 2025

According to the Associated Press, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the government had done all it could to prepare but admitted the storm’s intensity would test Jamaica’s limits. “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”

Forecasters warned of storm surges up to 13 feet along Jamaica’s southern coast, threatening homes, hospitals, and infrastructure. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said some patients were moved to upper floors as a precaution. “We hope that will suffice for any surge that will take place,” Tufton told reporters.

🚨 BREAKING: HOSPITALS DESTROYED IN JAMAICA 🚨

Medical facilities in Black River, Jamaica have reportedly been destroyed, according to a Jamaican Senator speaking to NBC.
Amid Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic landfall, emergency services are overwhelmed, and access to care is… pic.twitter.com/FwJsmfMvqr

— Dj Steven King (@djstevenking1) October 28, 2025

Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s Minister of Water, Environment, and Climate Change, called the situation “frightening,” noting that roughly 70 percent of the country’s population lives within three miles of the sea. Low-lying communities such as Kingston, Old Harbour Bay, Rocky Point, and St. Elizabeth were expected to bear the brunt of the flooding.

“We hope we have done enough in terms of preparation,” Samuda said in an interview with the BBC, urging residents to seek shelter and pleading with Jamaicans abroad to call loved ones “before it’s too late.” Still, officials acknowledged that many have refused to leave their homes, choosing to guard their property instead.

As Melissa churns across the island, authorities warn that the coming hours will be critical. The storm’s powerful winds and deluge threaten to cut off entire communities, with the recovery effort expected to be long and grueling once skies finally clear.

Below are my updated charts through April 2025 along with the cumulative data starting in October 2024. As you can see, central and southern Alberta are trending quite dry, while the north appears to be faring much better. However, even there, the devil is in the details. For instance, in Grande Prairie the overall precipitation level appears to be “normal”, yet in April it was bone dry and talking with someone who was recently there, they described it as a dust bowl. In short, some rainfall would be helpful. These next 3 months are fairly critical.