St. Elizabeth Parish, southwestern Jamaica, is the first to be struck by Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. Winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) are tearing through the area, causing severe flooding and destruction.

#HappeningNow

Junction, St Elizabeth#TrackingMelissa #HurricaneMelissa #Jamaica @CVMTV pic.twitter.com/UW9O21jXGN

— Giovanni R. Dennis (@GiovanniRDennis) October 28, 2025

The post shares live video footage from Junction, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, depicting intense rainfall and winds from Hurricane Melissa's approaching eyewall, with trees bending violently and poor visibility signaling imminent landfall.

As the strongest Atlantic hurricane of 2025 with sustained winds near 180 mph, Melissa is projected to deliver over 70 cm of rain and 4-meter storm surges to Jamaica, potentially causing the worst flash flooding and infrastructure damage this century per Reuters analysis.

Drawing from NOAA studies, Melissa's rapid intensification—gaining 50 mph in 24 hours—exemplifies a trend where warmer sea surface temperatures, up 0.5°C since 1980, fuel more extreme Category 5 storms in the Caribbean.