Hurricane Melissa live updates: No official death toll in Jamaica
Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica after the storm made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.
After lashing Jamaica with dangerous winds and flooding rain, Melissa made a second landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning. Melissa then moved through the Bahamas, and next, on Thursday night, the storm will pass Bermuda as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.
Key Headlines
Conditions deteriorating in Jamaica, prime minister says
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned in a post to X on Tuesday morning that "conditions continue to deteriorate ahead of hurricane landfall."
The prime minister shared the latest forecast for the storm in a government bulletin, which noted that the "core of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica on Tuesday."
7 dead, over a dozen injured as Hurricane Melissa hits the Caribbean
As Hurricane Melissa brings devastating conditions to the Caribbean, at least seven people have died in relation to the storm, according to the Associated Press.
Three people have died in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing, according to the outlet.
The Ministry of Health and Wellness of Jamaica confirmed on Monday that, in preparation for the storm, three people died. Some of the deaths occurred while cutting down trees and from electrocution. There have also been 15 injuries involving falling off heights, like rooftops and car accidents, officials said.
-ABC News' Jessica Gorman
Latest on Hurricane Melissa's path
Hurricane Melissa remains a dangerous, Category 5 storm with landfall in western Jamaica expected Tuesday morning.
Melissa has winds of 175 mph and a central pressure dropping to 903 mb as of 11 p.m. ET on Monday night. Hurricane Melissa is now the strongest tropical cyclone on Earth in 2025.
The hurricane is moving very slowly at 2 mph, and the turn to the north-northeast is happening as it heads toward western Jamaica. Catastrophic winds, flooding, and storm surge are imminent for Jamaica Monday night through Tuesday. Conditions will deteriorate overnight.
Some fluctuations in intensity remain possible leading up to landfall -- but regardless of whether it’s a Category 4 or 5, the impacts will be the same.
Tropical storm conditions are happening in Jamaica on Monday night and the catastrophic hurricane-force wind conditions will arrive in western Jamaica by morning as it makes landfall. Locally, up to 40 inches of rain and up to 13 feet of storm surge along the south shore will remain possible in Jamaica.
Melissa will reach Cuba Tuesday night as a major hurricane before reaching the Southeastern Bahamas at hurricane strength.
-ABC News' Melissa Griffin
'Don't wait, don't gamble with your life': Jamaican official warns those in low-lying areas
As Jamaica braces for the impact of Hurricane Melissa, Jamaica’s minister of Labour and Social Security, Pearnel Charles Jr., joined ABC News Live, saying those in especially vulnerable areas need to heed the warnings of officials.
"The Prime Minister has also declared evacuation orders, which means it's not a suggestion; it is a directive to save your life, to remove yourself from communities that are extremely vulnerable, the low-lying, flood-prone areas, and to get you to a shelter," Charles said.
The evacuation Order applies to Port Royal in Kingston; Portland Cottage and Rocky Point in Clarendon; Old Harbour Bay in St. Catherine; and New Haven, Riverton City and Taylor Land in St. Andrew, according to officials.
"Don't wait, don't gamble with your life if you are in one of those areas that are low lying, just get out, you know, secure what you can secure. ... Get your medicine, get your documents, get your children and get to a space that is higher ground and safer," Charles added.
"There is no possession or pride that is as important as a single life. So the message is, protect yourself, protect your family, and also look out for the elders. Look out for the persons with disabilities and those right now who need support. It's unity and collaboration to protect this nation," he said.