![\"TT.Flooding](\"https:\/\/news2.watchtowatch.top\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/Screenshot_390-1.png\")
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Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this weekend, and it could bring \u201clife-threatening and catastrophic\u201d flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic early next week, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center warns.<\/p>\n
Melissa, the 13th named storm of the Atlantic season, isn\\\\\\\u2019t expected to have major\u00a0impacts on the mainland United States.<\/p>\n
Melissa\\\\\\\u2019s forecast and path<\/p>\n
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On Friday night, Melissa\\\\\\\u2019s core was about 180 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 245 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti,\u00a0the hurricane center said. Maximum sustained winds were 65 mph, with tropical storm-force winds extending some 140 miles east from the storm\\\\\\\u2019s center. It was inching north at 3 mph.<\/p>\n
Map shows the forecast path for Melissa, which is forecast to become a major hurricane in the Caribbean. \/ Credit: CBS News<\/p>\n
It was forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday and a major hurricane \u2014 meaning a\u00a0Category 3\u00a0or higher \u2014 by Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\\\\\\\u2019s going to intensify very rapidly,\u201d CBS News weather anchor Lonnie Quinn said Friday evening.<\/p>\n
Jamaica, Haiti and eastern Cuba should brace for \u201ccatastrophic rainfall, up to nearly 3 feet of rain,\u201d Quinn said. \u201cMountainous terrain \u2014 there\\\\\\\u2019s going to be mudslides. I am fearful for what we will find by the time we get into next week for this portion of the Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n
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On top of that, he warned, the storm could be packing 140 mile per hour winds.<\/p>\n
\u201cJamaica, I think, is going to take the worst of it,\u201d Quinn said.<\/p>\n
A hurricane warning was in effect for Jamaica. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince.<\/p>\n
Although Melissa was moving north Friday, the hurricane center said it was forecast to take a turn to the west on Saturday and continue that westward movement through Monday.<\/p>\n
\u201cOn the forecast track, the center of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early next week and could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week,\u201d the hurricane center said.<\/p>\n
Melissa is expected to drop up to 25 inches of rain on parts of southern Haiti, the southern Dominican Republic and Jamaica through Tuesday, with higher amounts possible in some areas, the hurricane center said. Southeast Cuba could see up to 12 inches of rain.<\/p>\n
\u201cPotentially catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are possible across portions of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, while catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti,\u201d forecasters said.<\/p>\n
A satellite image of Tropical Storm Melissa in the Caribbean at 1:50 p.m. Eastern Time on Oct. 24, 2025. \/ Credit: NOAA\/NESDIS\/STAR<\/p>\n
Additional heavy rainfall is likely beyond Tuesday, the hurricane center said, but uncertainty remains about the more extended forecast.<\/p>\n
Tropical Storm Melissa forecast to become major hurricane as Jamaica under threat<\/p>\n
Topical Storm Melissa has been called a \u2018slow-moving disaster\u2019 amid warnings of catastrophic flash flooding in Haiti<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2025\/10\/24\/16\/01\/Affectations-due-to-Tropical-Storm-Melissa-in-Santo-Domingo-6jqz23lt.jpeg\")
open image in gallery<\/p>\n
A woman is standing on a street flooded by rains caused by Tropical Storm Melissa, in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic\u00a0(REUTERS)<\/p>\n
Tropical Storm Melissa\u00a0could soon strengthen into a\u00a0powerful hurricane\u00a0and brush past Jamaica, forecasters have warned.<\/p>\n
The storm is currently almost stationary in the central Caribbean, but threatens catastrophic\u00a0flash flooding\u00a0and landslides in southern\u00a0Haiti, where at least\u00a0three deaths\u00a0have already been reported.<\/p>\n
Copious amounts of rainfall are expected to drop across\u00a0Jamaica, southern Haiti, and the\u00a0Dominican Republic\u00a0throughout the weekend as a result of the erratic storm.<\/p>\n
Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, highlighted the danger, stating: \u201cThe rainfall is a huge risk with the storm. Rainfall has historically been the biggest cause of loss of life of tropical storms and hurricanes in the\u00a0Caribbean.\u201d<\/p>\n
The storm was located approximately 215 miles (345 kilometres) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 250 miles (405 kilometres) southwest of\u00a0Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It maintained maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving east-southeast at a sluggish 2 mph (4 kph), according to the U.S. centre.<\/p>\n
A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain is forecast for portions of southwestern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Monday, with higher amounts possible in some areas.<\/p>\n
Up to 12 inches (30 centimeters) of rain was expected for the remainder of southern Haiti and for the southern Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/2025\/10\/24\/05\/Haiti_Displaced_50753.jpg\")
open image in galleryPeople place plastic tarps over their tents ahead of expected rain at a shelter for families displaced by gang violence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti\u00a0(AP)Catastrophic warnings for Haiti<\/p>\n
The\u00a0National Hurricane Center\u00a0warned that heavy rainfall would cause \u201ccatastrophic flash flooding and landslides across southwestern Haiti by this weekend into early next week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt noted that strong winds could also potentially last for a day or more over Haiti\\\u2019s Tiburon peninsula.<\/p>\n
Haiti\\\u2019s Civil Protection Agency said Friday that a landslide in Port-au-Prince killed two people and injured another, with the death toll rising to three. Earlier this week, a large tree fell on an elderly man in southern Haiti and killed him, while five other people in the country\\\u2019s central region were injured in flooding.<\/p>\n
The U.N. said it has prepared more than 100 emergency shelters in Haiti\\\u2019s southern region.<\/p>\n
A slow-moving disaster<\/p>\n
Melissa was expected to slowly begin moving closer to Jamaica over the weekend. It was forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday and become a major hurricane by Sunday, possibly reaching\u00a0Category 4\u00a0status before dawn on Monday.<\/p>\n
Forecasters said that Jamaica could see life-threatening flooding and landslides because the ground is already saturated from recent heavy rains unrelated to the storm.<\/p>\n
The storm is moving so slowly that parts of Jamaica could experience hurricane conditions for 72 hours or longer, said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather\\\u2019s lead hurricane expert.<\/p>\n
\u201cMelissa is evolving into a slow-motion disaster,\u201d he said. \u201cMillions of people are at risk of catastrophic impacts. We are increasingly concerned about the threat of a humanitarian disaster unfolding, especially if this storm stalls.\u201d<\/p>\n
Schools, health centers and government offices closed across Jamaica on Thursday, with authorities warning that all airports would close within 24 hours if a hurricane warning is issued.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe situation is indeed serious,\u201d said Matthew Samuda, Jamaica\\\u2019s minister of economic growth and job creation.<\/p>\n
The Bahamas\\\u2019 Foreign Affairs Ministry announced it would evacuate Bahamian students out of Jamaica on Friday ahead of the storm.<\/p>\n
Flooding persists in Dominican Republic<\/p>\n
The storm has damaged nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and knocked out dozens of water supply systems, affecting more than half a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights and unleashed a couple of small landslides.<\/p>\n
All public schools across the Dominican Republic were closed Friday, while government offices in 12 provinces under alert would do the same, officials said. Nearly two dozen communities were cut off by floodwaters.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an event that we should be following minute by minute,\u201d said Juan Manuel M\u00e9ndez Garc\u00eda, emergency operations director in the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n
Officials noted that evacuations in areas under alert were mandatory.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing here is to save lives. The risk is the enormous amount of rain,\u201d said Dominican President Luis Abinader.<\/p>\n
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year.<\/p>\n
The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes, which pack winds of 111 mph (178 kph) or greater.<\/p>\n
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarrie Underwood and Her Husband Join in Heart-Wrenching Tribute at Charlie Kirk\u2019s Memorial \u2014 As His Father Collapses Crying \u2018Give Me Back My Son, He\u2019s Only 31,\u2019 the Tearful Moment That Has Shattered Millions Around the World and Left America Holding Its Breath\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Phoenix, AZ \u2014 The air outside Turning Point USA\u2019s national headquarters was thick with grief, flickering candlelight, and the scent of freshly laid flowers. What was meant to be a simple memorial for conservative commentator\u00a0Charlie Kirk\u00a0turned into a heart-wrenching tableau of raw emotion that left thousands in stunned silence.<\/p>\n Charlie Kirk\u2019s father, overcome by grief, collapsed to his knees, clutching a framed photo of his 31-year-old son. In a voice breaking with unimaginable pain, he cried aloud:\u00a0\u201cGive me back my boy\u2026 he\u2019s only 31!\u201d<\/em>\u00a0The plea hung in the air, echoing through the small crowd that had gathered to mourn. Strangers held each other, many openly sobbing, as the father\u2019s anguish became a collective grief.<\/p>\n Into that silence stepped Carrie Underwood and her husband, their expressions heavy with sorrow. Trembling voices lifted in a haunting rendition of Leonard Cohen\u2019s\u00a0\u201cHallelujah.\u201d<\/em>\u00a0Each note was charged with mourning, weaving a thread of solace through the sea of grief-stricken attendees. Witnesses described the moment as surreal: the music seemed to both honor Charlie\u2019s life and give the father\u2019s heartbreak a voice that everyone could hear.<\/p>\n Fans and passersby joined in laying flowers, candles, and handwritten notes beneath the temporary shrine, creating a tapestry of remembrance and solidarity. The crowd swelled quietly, people offering embraces and whispered words of comfort. Cameras captured the scene in detail \u2014 from the tears streaking down Carrie Underwood\u2019s face to the small gestures of support between strangers who had never met.<\/p>\n Social media quickly erupted with clips of the event, spreading across the country within hours. Millions watched as the performance and the father\u2019s emotional collapse became a shared moment of mourning, a reminder of the fragility of life and the universality of loss. Comments poured in from all corners:\u00a0\u201cI haven\u2019t cried like this in years,\u201d<\/em>\u00a0one viewer wrote. Another said,\u00a0\u201cYou could feel the weight of a nation\u2019s sorrow in that moment.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The tribute, though deeply personal, transcended politics. For a few fleeting hours, Charlie Kirk\u2019s life \u2014 and the love and grief surrounding it \u2014 became a shared story that touched hearts far beyond Phoenix. Carrie Underwood and her husband\u2019s performance was more than a song; it was a balm for a shattered family, a community, and a nation grappling with sudden, senseless loss.<\/p>\n As the crowd slowly dispersed, candles still flickering in the cool evening air, one thing was clear: the memory of this night \u2014 the music, the tears, and the father\u2019s desperate plea \u2014 would linger long in the hearts of all who witnessed it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic Melissa becoming major threat to Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4044,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-hot-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t