Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to turn into a powerful Category 4 hurricane off the coast of Jamaica, bringing “torrential rainfall and destructive winds for up to 72 hours or longer”.

Conditions were expected to deteriorate rapidly as the slow-moving system advances on the island this weekend.

Yesterday, AccuWeather forecasters predicted Melissa would “make landfall in Jamaica as a major hurricane early next week, then strike Cuba before moving into the Bahamas”.

The National Hurricane Centre advised residents of Jamaica to brace for “potentially damaging winds, heavy rainfall resulting in life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides” as well as a storm surge.

The NHC added: “Preparations to protect life and property should be rushed to completion, since strong winds and flooding rains could begin in Jamaica on Saturday or Sunday.”

Haiti and Cuba were next in the storm’s path, with a likelihood of severe conditions as weather models showed Hurricane Melissa swinging around on a likely northerly course.

The Bermuda Weather Service’s tropical advisories do not extend beyond 72 hours, but possible tracking for the storm could have it approaching the island by the end of the coming week.

Although hurricane activity typically peaks in September, the thirteenth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which ends on November 30, was a reminder that powerful systems can build rapidly into major hurricanes late in the year.

The storm’s slow pace, at about 2mph as it meanders in the Caribbean Sea, raises the stakes for islands in its path, increasing the time of impact from heavy rains and pounding winds.

Melissa could develop into a Category 2 hurricane by Sunday morning, according to the BWS, with winds of up to 110mph, before surging to Category 4 on the five-stage Saffir-Simpson scale, with wind speeds of 136 to 156mph, at the start of next week.