Hurricane Melissa moving across western Jamaica, battering island with winds and heavy rain

Jamaican functionary warns of 'life-threatening' lay on the line from Hurricane genus melissa

Jamaica bracing for ‘massive impact’ ahead of powerful hurricane

Satellite images show Hurricane Melissa

Pilots fly inside eye of Hurricane Melissa

Hi everyone, I’m Sarah Petz, a writer with the live story pages team based in Toronto.

Colin Bogle, an adviser for the humanitarian aid organization Mercy Corps who is based near Kingston, told the Associated Press that many families in the Jamaican capital are staying put and sheltering in place, despite government evacuation orders.

Bogle was staying with his grandmother in Portmore, just west of Kingston, where everything went dark earlier this morning after a loud explosion.

"The noise is relentless," he said of the hurricane.

"People are anxious and just trying to hold on until the storm passes."

In addition, “we have had to take some plants off-grid because of the danger posed by storm surges on the south coast of the island,” she said.

She warned people to stay indoors, noting that people have been “panicking” and trying to cut down their trees. In some cases, they’ve caused more damage to the power network by felling power lines in the process, she said. In other cases, people have been badly injured.

“Don’t try to do that now. It’s too late,” Callum said.

Climate change is intensifying extreme weather events like droughts, floods, heat waves — and hurricanes.

I’ve already mentioned that our oceans are the warmest they’ve ever been, and that increase in ocean heat means there’s more fuel for hurricanes.

“We know that warmer ocean temperatures boost the intensity of hurricanes. So if they're encountering water warmth and ocean warmth that is above what is typical — what is expected even during the peak of hurricane season — we know that directly can be attributed and is a cause of climate change,” said Shel Winkley from Climate Central.

But rising sea levels also play a role by amplifying dangerous storm surges.

Some research suggests that hurricanes are also now stronger and last longer. Because there’s more moisture in the air, storms can drop more rain than in the past, causing life-threatening floods.

Other research suggests that more Atlantic hurricanes are moving further inland.

And finally, as discussed earlier, we’re seeing more of these powerful storms rapidly intensify.

A video posted by the Jamaica Gleaner at 2:41 p.m. ET appears to show strong winds tearing a roof completely off a building at the Savanna La Mar Public General Hospital.

The people filming can be heard screaming as they witness the destruction.

The hospital is located in Westmoreland Parish in western Jamaica.

A roof was completely torn off a building at a section of the Savanna La Mar Public General Hospital due to the passage of Hurricane Melissa. The system made landfall earlier today near New Hope district in Westmoreland, Jamaica. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLNRToday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GLNRToday</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/TrackingMelissa?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#TrackingMelissa</a> <a href="https://t.co/zBnm9bu4Oq">pic.twitter.com/zBnm9bu4Oq</a>

Ever wonder how they measure the winds of tropical storms?

Believe it or not, people fly into them. They’re known as the Hurricane Hunters. These brave people are wild.

They are part of the U.S. Air Force’s 403rd Wing. And this is what their work day can look like.

When the weather says “stay inside,” the @af_reserve_hurricane_hunters say “hold my coffee.”<br>Turbulence and electricity are just part of the job description. <a href="https://t.co/03DidQvdhY">pic.twitter.com/03DidQvdhY</a>

Social media posts from the area appear to show some of the storm’s impact on Saint Elizabeth parish, a region on Jamaica's southwestern coast.

A video that claims to be posted from Black River shows strong winds and rain blowing panels off buildings a few hours ago.

On X, another person in Black River wrote, "I never knew concrete could shake like this."

"Three windows broken. Doors shaking. Outside sounds like people screaming or a huge train passing by. I am terrified."

The National Hurricane Center said at 2 p.m. ET that the storm’s winds have dropped to 270 km/h, which is expected after a hurricane moves across land. But it’s still a dangerous Category 5 storm.

"Catastrophic hurricane-force winds are spreading over Jamaica within the eye wall of Melissa," they wrote.

"Total structural failure is likely near the path of Melissa, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds atop and on the windward sides of hills and mountains could be up to 30 per cent stronger."

They also said that Melissa is expected to turn to the northeast, with an increase in forward speed, and then will gain even faster motion on Wednesday and Thursday.

The storm is expected to cross western Jamaica over the next few hours and then move back over water in the Caribbean Sea. The storm centre is then forecast to cross southeastern Cuba and then southeastern or central Bahamas on Wednesday.

Its forecast cone — the path the hurricane may follow — takes it into the Atlantic Ocean and then east of Newfoundland by late Friday into Saturday.

Some tourists are sharing updates and videos about Hurricane Melissa as the storm batters Jamaica’s beach resorts.

In a video posted an hour ago on a Facebook page for Sandals Montego Bay, one woman said the resort workers told remaining guests to stay in their rooms until they let them out.

"We'll move our mattress into the bathroom and… hunker down here if we need to," she said.

Another video posted by a guest shows rain slamming against their hotel room window. Views were similar in videos posted by guests at the Riu Negril Jamaica resort on the western coast of the island.

"The wind is pretty gnarly right now and it's absolutely terrifying," someone posted on the Riu Negril Jamaica Facebook page.

Jamaica's Information Minister Dana Morris Dixon told the Jamaica Gleaner about 25,000 tourists are currently on the island.

"There's no need to worry.… We are keeping those tourists as safe as we possibly can," she told the news site.

Information Minister Dr Dana Morris Dixon says about 25,000 tourists are in Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa batters the island. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GLNRToday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GLNRToday</a> <a href="https://t.co/PKAlbZXWol">pic.twitter.com/PKAlbZXWol</a>

Jamaica’s historic Flat Bridge in Spanish Town is now completely submerged. The bridge is believed to have been built some time between 1724 and 1774. It’s not a tall bridge, but one that is important to Jamaican history.

Ive been watching these live feeds of traffic cams in Jamaica, and the difference between last night and right now on this Flatbridge feed is so scary <a href="https://t.co/TO1t2WQgu3">pic.twitter.com/TO1t2WQgu3</a>

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