Hurricane Melissa intensified to a powerful Category 5 storm early Monday, prompting warnings of intense flooding and devastation across the Caribbean , including Jamaica , Haiti and the southeastern Bahamas, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

Jamaica sits directly in the hurricane’s path, right as it reaches its highest strength.

Hurricane Melissa is the strongest storm of the 2025 Atlantic Hurricane season, Chief Global News Meteorologist Anthony Farnell said. “It reached Category 5 strength early Monday morning and continues to intensify,” he added.

“Unfortunately, there is almost zero chance that Melissa misses Jamaica,” said Farnell.

The latest GOES-19 infrared satellite imagery on Major Category 5 Hurricane #Melissa . Refer to https://t.co/QJ4DpXwmJm fo

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