While the Gulf has been completely quiet this Atlantic tropical season so far, there has been plenty of activity in other parts of the Atlantic. This week, Major Hurricane Melissa is on track to make a direct hit on the island nation of Jamaica, with landfall projected to occur on Tuesday morning potentially as a category 5 storm. Jamaica has never experienced a storm of this magnitude and it is likely to cause tremendous damage to the country, especially in areas east of the storm’s eye. The damage will be compounded by up to 40 inches of rain in some isolated places in the mountains, as well as incredible damage due to the storm’s slow movement over time due to the lack of steering currents, which will allow winds of potentially up to 160 mph to thrash the island for days instead of hours. The storm surge on the south side of the island is also going to be incredible, especially if the eye of the storm moves west of Kingston, which has a harbor facing south that will channel even more water into a surge than the rest of the coast. The airport there, located on a low-lying island in the harbor, will likely be inundated and may not be operational for a significant time after the storm passes.
Melissa has already caused several deaths in Haiti and in the Dominican Republic due to flooding rains and the death toll is likely to climb much higher once Melissa’s power starts to be fully felt on Jamaica. Once Melissa passes over Jamaica, it is expected to hit eastern Cuba and the southeaster Bahama Islands. It could eventually hit Bermuda as well, although it will likely be weaker by then. Please keep all of these groups of people in your prayers as this will cause significant impacts on the islands for years to come.
