Tropical Storm Melissa puts Jamaica, Hispaniola on watch

Published on Oct 22, 2025, 9:14 am CDT

4 min read

Key points

NHC posts a Hurricane Watch for southwest Haiti
Jamaica under a Tropical Storm Watch per latest advisory
5-10 inches of rain could trigger floods and landslides
Expect intermittent flight disruptions at MBJ, KIN, SDQ, PUJ, PAP
Airline waivers not widely posted yet, monitor daily
Track advisories and port notices through Monday

Impact

What Changed: Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the central Caribbean and is targeting Jamaica and Hispaniola.
Why It Matters: Heavy rain and landslides could disrupt flights and roads, with short-notice schedule changes likely.
Dates: Greatest impacts Thursday, October 23, through the weekend; monitoring continues through Monday, October 27.
What To Do: Check airline alerts, reconfirm airport transfers, and allow extra time for road flooding and reroutes.

Tropical Storm Melissa is bringing bands of heavy rain to the northern Caribbean, with the National Hurricane Center posting a Hurricane Watch for Haiti's southwestern peninsula and a Tropical Storm Watch for Jamaica. Forecasts call for 5 to 10 inches of rain across southern Haiti, the southern Dominican Republic, and parts of eastern Jamaica through Saturday, with higher local totals that could trigger flash flooding and landslides. As of 8:00 a.m./0800 Wednesday, October 22, 2025, the storm carried maximum sustained winds of about 50 mph while tracking slowly in the central Caribbean.

National Hurricane Center advisory

The latest NHC public advisory maintains the Hurricane Watch for Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula, including areas from the Dominican border to Port-au-Prince, and a Tropical Storm Watch for Jamaica. The agency's key messages emphasize dangerous flooding and landslide risk due to multi-day rainfall as Melissa slows and pivots north-northwest late week. Travelers should expect conditions to deteriorate at times from Thursday into the weekend as outer bands sweep across Jamaica and Hispaniola.

Latest developments

Authorities and forecasters in the region warn that the most significant hazards are from water. Dominican forecasters at ONAMET note widespread showers and storms with alerts and warnings active nationwide as Melissa lingers nearby. Separately, regional reporting highlights rain-soaked commutes and event cancellations across Santo Domingo, underscoring the hydro risk even before core impacts arrive.

Airport operations may be periodically affected, especially where downpours reduce visibility or trigger ramp closures. Monitor flights if you are headed to Sangster International Airport (MBJ), Norman Manley International Airport (KIN), Las Américas International Airport (SDQ), Punta Cana International Airport (PUJ), or Toussaint Louverture International Airport (PAP). Haiti operations remain constrained for security reasons and by a continuing FAA prohibition on U.S. carriers to Port-au-Prince.

As of publication, major U.S. carriers had not posted broad, event-specific fee waivers tied to Melissa; advisories pages should still be checked frequently as conditions can change quickly.

Analysis

For travelers, the disruption pattern with a slow-moving Caribbean storm often comes in pulses: a round of heavy rain and gusty winds, a lull, then another round. That can snarl same-day connections, delay crew and aircraft repositioning, and force short-notice schedule adjustments. If you are connecting via Montego Bay or Kingston, protect tight connections, consider earlier departures, and keep transfer plans flexible in case of localized flooding around the airports.

Background: A Hurricane Watch means hurricane conditions are possible within 48 hours; a Tropical Storm Watch means tropical storm conditions are possible in the next 48 hours. The watch stage is the time to complete preparations because tropical-storm-force winds make outdoor work difficult or dangerous.

If your itinerary includes Santo Domingo or Punta Cana, expect bursts of heavy rain to cause intermittent ground delays even if winds remain below tropical-storm strength. If you are booked to Port-au-Prince, remain alert to both weather hazards and ongoing operational limits; confirm any essential travel with your airline or operator before heading to the airport.

For continuity on this developing system, see our earlier coverage and check back for airline waivers and port notices: Caribbean disturbance turns into Tropical Storm Melissa.

Final thoughts

Melissa's slow crawl raises the risk of flooding and landslides from Jamaica to Hispaniola through the weekend. Build extra cushion into plans, reconfirm flights, and keep an eye on new waivers or advisories as Tropical Storm Melissa evolves.