Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Bears Down on Part of North America
Families across the Caribbean spent the night in fear as Hurricane Melissa unleashed its full fury, tearing through islands with relentless winds and torrential rains. Once a developing system off the Atlantic coast, Melissa has now intensified into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane — a transformation fueled by unusually warm ocean waters that supercharged its strength in less than a day.
The massive storm, now one of the most powerful hurricanes in recent history, has already left a trail of destruction across multiple nations. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned late Monday that “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides” were likely, with some areas expected to receive up to 30 inches of rain. At least six people have been confirmed dead, and close to 200 homes in the Dominican Republic have been damaged or destroyed.
Meteorologists remain alarmed by Melissa’s explosive intensification. Akshay Deoras, a meteorologist at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom, explained that sea surface temperatures in the storm’s path were around 30 degrees Celsius (86°F) — roughly 2 to 3 degrees higher than average. “And it’s not just the surface. The deeper layers of the ocean are also unusually warm, providing a vast reservoir of energy for the storm,” he said.
Melissa is the fourth Atlantic hurricane this year to undergo rapid intensification — a dangerous process in which wind speeds surge dramatically within a short time. Experts link this trend to a warming climate. “Climate change is fundamentally changing our weather,” said Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central. She added, “It does not mean that every single tropical cyclone is going to go through rapid or super-rapid intensification. However, in our warmer world, it will continue to increase the likelihood.”
Research supports this concern. A 2023 study analyzing over 800 tropical cyclones found that hurricanes in the Atlantic are now more than twice as likely to strengthen rapidly compared to storms in the 1970s and 1980s. These findings have amplified calls for greater investment in climate adaptation, emergency preparedness, and early warning systems.
As the storm edges closer to Jamaica and Cuba, officials are on high alert. Melissa’s slow movement — barely 2 miles per hour — means prolonged exposure to destructive winds and flooding. With homes already boarded up and shelters filling fast, the Caribbean braces for what could become one of the most devastating storms of the decade.