Much of this hurricane season has been relatively mild for the United States, but a powerful late season hurricane is moving over the Caribbean and Bahamas. Hurricane Melissa strengthened to a Category 4 storm Sunday and is expected to reach Category 5 status before making landfall in Western Jamaica. Melissa will maintain hurricane strength as it moves over Cuba Tuesday into Wednesday.
The initial slow-moving nature of the storm will lead to incredible amounts of rainfall across Jamaica. Some spots on the Eastern side of the island may receive up to 40 inches of rain through Thursday. Life-threatening flash flooding and storm surge can be expected along parts of the Southern Coast Monday night and Tuesday morning. Parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic may see upwards of a foot of rain, with additional flash flooding and landslides possible.
This storm will NOT impact any of the United States mainland as it moves into the Pacific Ocean later this week. Elevated risk of rip currents will be possible along the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas through the end of the week.
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