Posted on 10/28/2025 6:35:05 AM PDT by MtnClimber
KINGSTON, Jamaica - Hurricane Melissa is continuing to intensify as the eye of the monster storm approaches the southwestern coast of Jamaica, with forecasters saying winds within the Category 5 hurricane have increased to 180 mph - making the catastrophic storm one of the most intense hurricanes on record.
For days, Jamaica’s government has been warning its residents and visitors to make preparations ahead of the monster storm’s landfall, and people have been rushing to stock up on food and water to sustain them through what will likely be long-duration power and communication outages due to the storm's ferocious impacts.
However, fears are growing that the Category 5 hurricane’s destructive 175-mph winds may be too strong for buildings to handle, and officials are warning that those winds could lead to "total structural failure" near the path of Melissa’s powerful core.
Hurricane Melissa has been slowly spinning to the south of Jamaica, moving erratically over the warm waters of the Caribbean. But now Melissa is interacting with a cold front that is starting to pull the storm to the north-northeast and eventually northeast on a path that will likely slice through the middle of the island.
Hurricane Melissa is hours away from its expected landfall in Jamaica late Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon, but the storm has already been deadly.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxweather.com ...
Reports that the 800 or so shelters on Jamaica are mostly empty, indicating that residents have ignored warnings to evacuate homes that are not sturdy.
So... biblical?
They will be full soon enough.
I saw interviews of residents and many, even along the coastline, plan on riding the storm out. They didn’t seem to have a clue about the true severity of the storm.
I fear there’s going to be a tremendous loss of life and property and infrastructure damage.
Most of those buildings didn’t look like they could handle more than a stiff breeze.
Let’s hope they don’t “steer” it towards Florida...
“Reports that the 800 or so shelters on Jamaica are mostly empty...”
Well, to be fair, the ganja does tend to make one lethargic.
Also, this storm is expected to be a direct hit on Bermuda as well.
Take note of the aftermath.....I suspect the devastation in Jamaica will be horrible......Bermuda, will more than likely weather it without much issue.
There a reason for that.....I’ll leave it to your imagination as to why.
We made the best of it, though.
I have never been to Jamacia but did go to the Bahamas. I saw either squat cinder block homes and fences or super flimsy shacks - often with the debris of previous shacks pushed down a nearby ravine.
We had Hurricane Michael here, a CAT 5 , back in 2018.
It mowed down pine trees like blades of grass, snapped off about 8 feet off the ground like a giant lawn mower went thru..................
The worst of it is going to pass west of Kingston, and the Ocho Rios/Runaway Bay area, so they will suffer but not in biblical proportions; it’s going to be the west shore and Montego Bay that is going to flatten.
For those interested, there’s a live webcam in downtown Kingston.
In search, just type Half Way Tree LIVE Jamaica and you’ll find it.
I’ve been watching on and off since yesterday. There are still a few people out walking around and there’s a few cars on the road - but not as many as about 12 hours ago.
The streets are wet and you can hear the wind blowing thru the webcam microphone. So far, it doesn’t look too bad.
Just recorded 892 mb and 185 mph sustained winds per NHC.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.