Hundreds of holidaymakers have been placed into lockdown in their hotels as Jamaica braces for its ‘worst ever hurricane’.
Hurricane Melissa is expected to bring catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides, and up to 40 inches of rain in just 24 hours to the Caribbean island.
Melissa, which has already been blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean, barreled toward Jamaica with destructive Category 4 winds early on Monday before it intensified to the highest level of Category 5.
The country’s authorities have urged residents to evacuate to one of 900 shelters set up across the island as locals brace for life-threatening storm surges to batter the region.
Britons holidaying on the island have also been plunged into chaos as Jamaica prepares for Melissa to bring ‘catastrophic flash flooding’ which is expected to cause ‘numerous landslides’.
Andrew Tracey is staying at a hotel with what he believes is around 200 other UK residents, and says he has been placed into lockdown in his hotel room until at least Wednesday.
Despite his attempts to get out of the country before the Melissa rages in, Mr Tracey, who only arrived in Jamaica on October 20, said his flight was cancelled and that there was ‘nothing we could really do’.
‘If I knew that the hurricane would hit while I was out here, I wouldn’t have gone at all,’ he told Sky News.
A man watches the waves crash into the walls at the Kingston Waterfront on October 27, 2025
Hurricane Melissa churns northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured on October 27, 2025
People stand along the Kingston waterfront as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025
A palm tree sways on the Kingston waterfront as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025
A man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa on October 27, 2025
‘It’s hard to comprehend what we’re about to expect. I’ve never experienced any kind of hurricane, let alone a Category 5.
‘The tension in the hotel last night when we went down for dinner was definitely one of nerves, even locals.’
The Foreign Office has issued a statement for UK nationals stuck on the island, in which they urged them to seek ‘hurricane shelter’.
They said: ‘Hurricane Melissa is approaching Jamaica. British nationals should follow our travel advice and the advice of the local authorities.
‘Tourists on package holidays should contact their travel provider for advice.
‘Worried about shelter? Find your nearest hurricane shelter via the Jamaican government’s list of available shelters.’
Some local areas of eastern Jamaica could get 40 inches of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned. ‘Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely.’
Melissa’s center was forecast to move over Jamaica on Tuesday, across southeast Cuba on Tuesday night and across the southeast Bahamas on Wednesday.
A man hammers the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa on October 27, 2025
People in Ocho Rios, Jamaica, have been given food bags and supplies for Hurricane Melissa
A man wraps a petrol pump as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Kingston, Jamaica, October 27, 2025
The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Melissa was centered about 125 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 310 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday night.
It had maximum sustained winds of 150 mph and was moving west at 5 mph, the hurricane center said. It could reach Category 5 strength Monday with winds greater than 157 mph.
‘I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,’ said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of the island’s Disaster Risk Management Council. ‘Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.’
The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas.
Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service.
Hurricane Melissa strengthens into a Category 4 storm as it churns northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured at 7:40am on October 26, 2025
A fallen Jamaica Public Service Company light pole is seen on the Sugar Man’s beach main road in Hellshire, St Catherine parish, near Portmore, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Melisa on October 26, 2025
Melissa could reach Category 5 strength Monday with winds greater than 157 mph
The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing
He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.
Melissa could become the first Category 4 hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica in recent history, Thompson said.
Gilbert was a Category 3 hurricane when it hit the island in 1988 and two recent Category 4 storms, Ivan and Beryl, did not make landfall, Thompson added.
In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13 feet above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall, the US center said.
‘Don’t make foolish decisions,’ warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. ‘We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.’
The storm already has dropped heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under red alert.
Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters also have cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said.
In neighboring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares of maize at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half of the country’s population, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger, with 1.9 million of those facing emergency levels of hunger.
‘Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season,’ the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.
Melissa was expected to keep dumping torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in upcoming days.
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