Hurricane Melissa Weakens to Category 3 Storm, Cuba Braces for Landfall
29 Oct, 2025 12:11 IST|Sakshi Post
Severe hurricane Melissa has weakened into a Category 3 storm, but remains an “extremely dangerous major hurricane”. It is imminent to make landfall along Cuba’s southern coastline, the US National Hurricane Centre said.
After striking Jamaica on October 28 as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of approximately 185 mph (≈ 295 km/h) and a central pressure near 892 mb, the system has since been officially downgraded to Category 3 as it approaches Cuba, with maximum sustained winds near 125 mph (≈ 205 km/h).
The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) has issued a hurricane warning for several Cuban provinces—including Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguín, and Las Tunas—as well as southeastern and central Bahamas, cautioning that “preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion.”
Officials report that over 735,000 people have been evacuated in Cuba ahead of the storm’s landfall, with particular concern focused on Santiago de Cuba and the surrounding mountainous terrain.
Meteorologists expect torrential rainfall of 10 to 20 inches (approximately 250-500 mm), with isolated 25-inch peaks across eastern Cuba, accompanied by life-threatening floods and landslides. A storm surge of up to 12 feet (up to 3.6 m) above normal tide levels is also forecast for the southeast Cuban coast.
In Jamaica, widespread devastation has been reported. More than 500,000 power customers are without electricity, hospitals have been damaged or lost power, and the island has been declared a disaster zone by the government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness.
The storm has already claimed at least seven lives across the Caribbean—three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic—and the death toll is likely to rise as recovery efforts continue.
As the system moves away from Jamaica and toward Cuba and the Bahamas, officials warn that even though the storm has weakened from its peak, it remains extremely dangerous. Residents in the path are urged to take all warnings seriously and seek safe shelter promptly.
