Oct. 29 (UPI) — Hurricane Melissa weakened to a Category 2 storm on Wednesday afternoon after causing at least 36 deaths after hitting Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba during the past day.
Melissa was situated about 110 miles south-southeast of the central Bahamas and about 955 miles southwest of Bermuda, with sustained winds of 100 mph and moving to the northeast at 15 mph, the National Hurricane Center reported in its 2 p.m. EDT update.
Hurricane-force winds extend out about 40 miles from the eye of the storm, while tropical-storm-force winds extend out about 185 miles.
The NHC said a hurricane warning is in effect for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas.
A tropical storm warning is in effect for Haiti, the Cuban province of Camaguey and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A U.S. Air Force Reserve crew from the 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the “Hurricane Hunters,” flies through Hurricane Melissa on Monday. Photo by Lt. Col. Mark Withee/U.S. Air Force/UPI
Some slight weakening of the storm system is predicted as Hurricane Melissa brings hurricane conditions to the southern and central Bahamas and tropical storm conditions to the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday, according to the NHC.
Hurricane conditions are predicted for Bermuda by Thursday night after tropical storm conditions arrive earlier in the day and bring heavy rainfall.
A person walks in front of a house damaged by Hurricane Melissa in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday, which killed at least seven on the island nation and 29 in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Photo by Rudolph Brown/EPA
The storm system is expected to bring between 10 and 20 inches of rainfall to eastern Cuba and up to 25 inches in mountainous terrain, which will create life-threatening conditions and potential flash flooding.
Between 5 and 10 inches of rainfall and flash flooding are predicted for the Southeast Bahamas, while the Turks and Caicos Islands are expected to see between 1 and 3 inches of rainfall.
Hurricane Melissa caused at least 36 deaths in the Caribbean after the storm struck Jamaica and Haiti on Tuesday and made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm on Wednesday morning, according to CNN and NBC News.
The storm system was a Category 5 hurricane with is made landfall in Jamaica at 1 p.m. EDT Tuesday, where it killed at least seven, stranded locals on rooftops and left them without power as the storm passed over the island nation.
The hurricane claimed at least 25 lives in Haiti and 36 in total in Jamaica, Cuba and the Dominican Republic.
It was the most powerful storm of the 2025 Atlantic storm season and among the most powerful to make landfall in the Atlantic basin.
Despite its impact, some Jamaican airports are reopening on Wednesday and will resume commercial flights Thursday morning, Jamaican Transportation Minister Daryl Vaz announced on social media.
