Hurricane Melissa: Why hurricane Melissa could become one of the deadliest and strongest storms ever seen in the Atlantic

Hurricane Melissa roared ashore in Jamaica on as a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, becoming the most powerful storm ever to make landfall on the island. With maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), Melissa shattered the previous record held by 1988’s Hurricane Gilbert, which hit Jamaica with winds of about 130 mph. The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) called Melissa’s landfall “unprecedented in Jamaica’s recorded history,” warning of “catastrophic wind damage and life-threatening flooding.” Global warming have added to the intensity of the storm. The hurricane is the strongest to lash the island since record-keeping began in 1851.

Meteorologists note that surface wind speeds of 185 mph mean gusts are significantly higher and at higher elevations, winds can be even stronger. The combination of hurricane-force winds, torrential rainfall and storm surge is expected to devastate much of the island, with some areas potentially receiving up to 40 inches (1 metre) of rain over the Blue Mountains and other uplands.

A climate-fueled monster

What makes Melissa exceptional, scientists say, is how rapidly it intensified, and the abnormal warmth of the Caribbean waters that powered it. According to News Scientiest website, climate Central’s preliminary analysis finds those warm conditions were between 500 and 700 times more likely to occur due to human-caused climate change.

“The ‘500 to 700 times more likely’ number is big,” said Dr. Daniel Gilford, a climate scientist with Climate Central. “It really illustrates how unlikely the extremely warm temperatures we are observing around Melissa would be without human-caused climate change.”

Tropical cyclones draw their strength from warm ocean waters. As moist air rises and condenses, it releases latent heat, fueling the storm further, a self-reinforcing process. In Melissa’s case, the ocean heat wasn’t just at the surface but extended deep below, preventing the storm from weakening as it churned the sea.

“There has been a perfect storm of conditions leading to the colossal strength of Hurricane Melissa,” said Dr. Leanne Archer, a researcher at the University of Bristol. “A warm ocean has fuelled its rapid intensification … and it is also moving slowly, meaning more rain can fall whilst it moves across land. Most of these conditions have been supercharged by the extra heat in our oceans and atmosphere due to climate change.”

According to News Scientist website, officials said at least three people had died while preparing for the storm, and hundreds of thousands were without power within hours of landfall. Jamaica’s government urged residents to shelter in place and avoid flood zones, calling Melissa “a national emergency of historic proportions.”

Megastorms like Melissa can have deep and lasting economic effects, especially for small island nations.