Hurricane Impact and Progression - Hurricane strength remains at Category Two with wind speeds of 100 mph [1][2] - The storm's speed has increased from 4-5 mph to approximately 14 mph, accelerating its journey [3] - Some parts of Cuba picked up anywhere from 18 to 24 inches of rain [4] - Jamaica could face weeks to months, or even years, for full damage recovery [6] Climate Change and Extreme Weather - The frequency and intensity of extreme weather events, fueled by climate change, are increasing [9][10] - There's a growing need to adapt to more intense and frequent disasters [11] - Peer-reviewed science indicates a greater proportion of tropical storms are reaching catastrophic Category Four and Five levels [14] Hurricane Monitoring and Forecasting - Hurricane Hunters had to abort missions due to severe turbulence [15] - Retired staff were brought back to staff NOAA Hurricane Hunter missions due to staff shortages [16][17] - Maintaining hurricane hunter missions is crucial for better forecasting, monitoring, and warning to save lives and property [17]

Hurricane Melissa Analysis - Hurricane Melissa's eyewall, approximately 25-30 miles wide, poses a significant threat with tornado-like winds, potentially causing widespread high-end wind damage [4] - Structures lacking robust construction are at high risk of failure, with some potentially reduced to rubble [5] - The landscape will be drastically altered due to snapped, uprooted, and denuded trees, with recovery expected to take over 10 years [5] Humanitarian Concerns - Coastal areas are expected to experience storm surges of up to approximately 10-13 feet [6] - Inland regions could receive up to 3 feet of rainfall, leading to washed-out roadways and isolated communities [6] - The disaster is expected to exacerbate economic disparities and disproportionately impact vulnerable populations [7] Meteorological Observations - The eye of the hurricane presented a stark contrast, featuring calm winds and clear skies amidst surrounding chaos [2] - The eyewall's turbulence created a roller coaster-like experience for the aircraft [3]

For more context and news coverage of the most important stories of our day, click here: https://www.nbcnews.com » Subscribe to NBC News: http://nbcnews.to/SubscribeToNBC » Watch more NBC video: http://bit.ly/MoreNBCNews NBC News Digital is a collection of innovative and powerful news brands that deliver compelling, diverse and engaging news stories. NBC News Digital features NBCNews.com, MSNBC.com, TODAY.com, Nightly News, Meet the Press, Dateline, and the existing apps and digital extensions of these resp ...

Bill, we understand the storm just made landfall near Jamaica. Walk us through what the folks there are now now experiencing. >> Well, in New Hope, they're in the eye.So, hopefully there's no one there first off. Hopefully, they all evacuated because you don't want to be in this eyew wall uh because that's where everything's going to be decimated. That's where the towns are going to be uninhabitable uh with a powerful storm like this.So, this is the eye. So, we're looking at a colorized version of it so it ...

So, Bill, we understand the storm just made landfall near Jamaica. Walk us through what the folks there are now now experiencing. >> Well, in New Hope, they're in the eye.So, hopefully there's no one there first off. Hopefully, they all evacuated because you don't want to be in this eyewall. Uh because that's where everything's going to be decimated. That's where the towns are going to be uninhabitable uh with a powerful storm like this.So, this is the eye. So, we're looking at a colorized version of it so ...

going to make landfall as a category 5, the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in Jamaica on record. Here's the timeline. Looks like late morning, early afternoon.So, daylight hours, uh, likely, you can see, of course, west of Kingston. Kingston no longer in that cone, but Montego Bay is in the cone. We'll probably see a landfall somewhere near Black River in Jamaica.Those hurricane force winds are going to extend well out from the center. So, where you see this red shaded area, those are hurricane f ...

Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for coastal areas of Jamaica before landfall by Melissa, currently the strongest hurricane of 2025.https://t.co/wfKDcZA8lk ...

Weather Event - Mandatory evacuation orders issued for coastal areas of Jamaica due to Hurricane Melissa [1] - Hurricane Melissa is currently the strongest hurricane of 2025 [1]

The storm Melissa barrels toward a Tuesday landfall on Jamaica as a major hurricane and threatens deadly floods in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba https://t.co/rbfYlRMeLA ...

Weather Event - Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the Caribbean [1] - It is expected to become a hurricane by Saturday [1]