Hundreds of travellers have been left stranded in Jamaica as the "storm of the century", Hurricane Melissa made landfall on 28 October.
Melissa started out as a Category 5 hurricane when it hit Jamaica earlier this week before simmering down to a Category 3, as it moved on to Cuba on Wednesday. It is also expected to make its way to other Caribbean islands later this week.
The hurricane quickly became the strongest storm in the world this year, as well as the worst to hit Jamaica in decades. It has already caused severe damage to the island, as well as neighbouring Caribbean nations such as Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
The UK Foreign Office warned travellers on Monday that Melissa would bring around 700 millimetres of rain, storm surges of up to 13 feet and winds of up to 217 kilometres per hour, likely to cause catastrophic flooding and landslides.
Passengers stranded as airports and ports closed
Jamaica has shut its two main international airports, the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, making it impossible to travel to or from the island.
“Following the passage of the hurricane, a comprehensive assessment of the airport will be conducted to determine when it is safe to resume operations. Updates will be communicated promptly,” Sangster International Airport said in a post on X (formerly known as Twitter) on Sunday.
“When the airport reopens, passengers are asked to confirm their flight status with their airlines before travelling to the airport.”
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The Norman Manley International Airport echoed this message, also informing travellers that JetBlue flights for Tuesday and Wednesday were cancelled.
“Our top priority remains the safety and well-being of our passengers and airport workers. We continue to work with all the relevant authorities and updates on airport operations will be communicated via our social media platforms and the media,” the airport also highlighted in an X post on Sunday.
This has led to hundreds of travellers being stranded on the island due to multiple flight cancellations and delays.
TUI has already informed travellers that flights home would be delayed by a few days as they continue to monitor the Jamaican travel situation.
Jamaican ports are also currently closed to shipping and cruise ships, with several cruise lines like Carnival Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean already having cancelled stops at the island and rerouted ships to other ports in the Caribbean.
Widespread Caribbean devastation expected
Melissa hit Cuba on Wednesday and is currently battering the eastern part of the island with flash flooding, intense winds, life-threatening storm surges of between 2.5 and 3.5 metres and landslides.
Around 735,000 people have already been evacuated across Cuba so far, as the hurricane made landfall in the southern Santiago de Cuba province. Local authorities have declared a "state of alert" in six eastern provinces.
The Dominican Republic and Haiti are also likely to see landslides and devastating flash flooding in some places today. Haiti is expected to see significant community isolation and widespread damage.
Similarly, central and southeastern Bahamas are likely to see rapidly worsening weather on Wednesday, including a potential 2.5 metre storm surge and severe flooding.
Six islands across the Bahamas have been ordered to start evacuation processes, including Crooked Island, Ragged Island, Acklins, Mayaguana, Inagua and Long Cay.
"To those who have not yet chosen to evacuate, I urge you to act now. Once the storm arrives, it will not be possible to reach you until conditions improve," Leon Lundy, Bahamas' Minister of State with responsibility for disaster risk management, said.
The Turks and Caicos Islands, lying further east, could see considerable storm surges and tropical storm conditions too.
Bermuda, more than 1600km away from Hurricane Melissa's current location, could face hurricane conditions on Thursday as well.
Currently, Melissa is bringing tropical-storm-force winds which extend outward up to 315km, whereas hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 45km from the centre.
In Jamaica, which has already borne the brunt of the storm, the hurricane is now being called "Monstrous Melissa". Hundreds of homes have been damaged with roofs ripped off, while thousands of trees and power lines alike have been felled.
Over half a million people in Jamaica were without power on Tuesday, with western Jamaica being most impacted. NetBlocks, an internet monitoring organisation also estimated that internet access on the island plunged to only 30 per cent of normal levels by late Tuesday.
The island's main agricultural region, St. Elizabeth, has seen devastating flooding and blocked roads, with significant damage to critical infrastructure such as hospitals, airports and gas and water facilities.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has declared the island a disaster area.
"Our country has been ravaged by Hurricane Melissa but we will rebuild and we will do so even better than before. Tonight I encourage Jamaicans to be hopeful. I know many, especially those in the worst affected parishes, are feeling disheartened. Your homes may have been damaged," he said in a post on X.
What can travellers do?
About 25,000 tourists are still in Jamaica, even as the country attempts to recover from the hurricane. Despite Melissa now moving on to Cuba, stormy weather is likely to continue throughout the next few days.
Both Jamaican and international officials have issued multiple warnings to travellers to find somewhere safe or stay where they are until the hurricane passes completely, due to power lines being down and ongoing flooding.
The Jamaican government also has a list of availablehurricane shelters for travellers worried about finding safe shelter.
The UK Foreign Office has warned that it may take some time for airports to reopen and that travellers should be prepared for serious shortages of food, accommodation, water and health services after the hurricane has passed.
Travellers can monitor live updates from the Jamaican airport authorities about airport reopening schedules. The Jamaican government also advises holidaymakers on package tours to follow their tour operator’s advice.
Most holidaymakers who have had their trip cancelled before they have left home due to the hurricane should be able to access a full refund through their tour operator.
Although this sometimes depends on whether a country’s foreign office has issued a warning against all but essential travel to a destination, several tour operators will also consider local travel warnings.
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Even if the holiday has not been officially cancelled, travellers who are uncomfortable visiting Jamaica under the current circumstances should be able to cancel without extra cancellation fees. Some operators may also provide full refunds in these cases.
Certain insurance providers may also cover the cost of the cancelled trip due to local government travel warnings. However, this varies according to individual plans and often applies only to policies bought before the weather forecast or warning was issued.
Travel agents are responsible for finding new, safe accommodations for clients forced to evacuate due to the hurricane.
Some airlines may also need to find passengers new flights home or refund ticket costs if natural disasters cause flight cancellations. However, they are not responsible for covering other associated costs and reimbursements due to this disruption.
Hurricane Melissa strongest storm on the planet this year
Hurricane Melissa is the worst storm in the world so far in 2025, having already caused three deaths in Jamaica, another three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.
It has been dubbed the “storm of the century”, and experts believe that ongoing climate change has driven much of Melissa's rapid escalation, with the storm feeding on increasingly warmer ocean temperatures.
“We’re seeing a direct connection in attribution science with the temperature in the water and a climate change connection," says Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist for Climate Central, a combination of scientists and journalists who study climate change.
”And when we see these storms go over this extremely warm water, it is more fuel for these storms to intensify rapidly and push to new levels."
Jamaica’s high mountains have likely exacerbated Melissa’s rains. As it is a slow-moving hurricane, there are also higher chances of more rainfall in concentrated areas, greatly increasing the chances of flooding.
