Melissa’s winds reached up to 280 km/h, with forecasters warning the storm’s core would sit over Jamaica around 1 p.m. local time (7 p.m. in Poland).
The National Hurricane Center said up to 100 liters of rain per square meter and four-meter storm waves could cause severe damage and cut off communities, with slow forward motion increasing rainfall totals.
Poland’s consular services are monitoring the situation, the foreign ministry’s spokesperson, Maciej Wiewiór, told broadcaster RMF24, urging Polish tourists to seek safe cover. All airports in Jamaica have been closed, local media reported.
After Jamaica, Melissa is expected to move toward Cuba before turning east. It is not forecast to reach the United States. Warm Caribbean waters are fueling the system late into the season, which officially ends on Nov. 30.
Before striking Jamaica, the storm caused destruction in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Haiti reported at least three deaths, including two from a landslide. The Dominican Republic recorded at least one death, and more than 1,000 people were evacuated or displaced.
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Source: Polskie Radio 24, RMF24