Hurricane Melissa has intensified to Category 3 status with a central pressure of 968 mb, according to an update shared at approximately 1:15 AM UTC on October 26th by meteorologist StrandenWX. The storm's development is slightly ahead of forecast projections, and the eye of Hurricane Melissa is reportedly preparing to become visible. This news comes as the storm continues its approach towards Jamaica. Earlier in the reporting window, between 12:47 AM and 1:15 AM UTC on October 26th, the Google model indicated an 84 percent chance of Hurricane Melissa intensifying into a Category 5 storm before landfall in Jamaica, with some ensemble members suggesting peak winds around 180 mph. Meteorologist Webber Weather cited favorable environmental conditions, including northerly shear, deep-layer positive storm relative helicity (+SRH), and weak inertial stability, contributing to this potential for rapid intensification. At approximately 12:46 AM UTC on October 26th, unmanned aircraft systems deployed by NOAA42 measured an average wind speed of 146 knots at 500 meters above ground level in Hurricane Melissa, as reported by meteorologist Xiaoqian Wu. Strong turbulence within the eyewall was noted as affecting data collection. This follows a previous measurement at 11:47 PM UTC on October 25th, where NOAA 42 recorded an extrapolated pressure of 970.8 hPa with peak flight-level winds of 97 knots, estimated to translate to approximately 85 knots at the surface. In anticipation of the storm's impact, all airports in Jamaica were scheduled to close at 9 PM local time on October 25th, as confirmed by Minister of Energy, Telecommunications, and Transport, Daryl Vaz. Previous advisories from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) had warned that Hurricane Melissa was forecast to become a Category 5 storm, potentially causing catastrophic and life-threatening conditions including severe flash flooding, landslides, extensive infrastructural damage, and prolonged power and communication outages. Storm surge was previously forecast to reach 9 to 13 feet above ground level along the southern coast.
