ALERT #7 ON HURRICANE MELISSA issued by The Bahamas Department of Meteorology, Monday, October 27th, 2025, at 12 NOON EDT.
BAHAMAS DEPARTMENT OF METEOROLOGY
FORECAST OFFICE SECTION
Telephone: 377-7178 / 377-7040
Fax No. 377-5275
Nassau, Bahamas
Website: https://met.gov.bs
Email: meteo@batelnet.bs
ALERT #7 ON HURRICANE MELISSA issued by The Bahamas Department of
Meteorology, Monday, October 27th, 2025, at 12 NOON EDT.
…CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MELISSA EXPECTED TO TURN
NORTHWARD LATER TODAY OR TONIGHT…
…TROPICAL STORM OR HURRICANE CONDITIONS EXPECTED IN
THE ISLANDS OF THE SOUTHEAST BAHAMAS, INCLUDING THE
TURKS AND CAICOS, BEGINNING TUESDAY, AND THE REST OF THE
SOUTHEAST AND CENTRAL BAHAMAS ON WEDNESDAY THROUGH
THURSDAY…
A Hurricane Watch is now in effect for the Central and Southeast Bahamas and
the Turks and Caicos Islands. This includes Exuma and its Cays, Ragged
Island, Rum Cay, Long Island, San Salvador, Cat Island, Acklins, Crooked
Island, Long Cay, Mayaguana, Inagua, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
A Hurricane Watch means that Hurricane conditions could be experienced
within the mentioned islands within 48 hours.
At 11:00 A.M. EDT, the center of Hurricane Melissa was located near latitude
16.4 degrees north and longitude 78.2 degrees west, or about 145 Southwest of
Kingston, Jamaica, 440 miles South-southwest of Duncan Town, Ragged Island,
430 miles Southwest of Matthew Town, Inagua 530 miles Southwest of
Providenciales, Turks and Caicos Islands, 530 miles Southwest of Abraham’s
Bay, Mayaguana and 590 miles South of New Providence.
Hurricane Melissa is moving toward the west near 3 miles per hour. A slow turn
toward the northwest and north is expected later today, followed by a turn toward
the northeast and a faster forward speed on Tuesday. A northeastward motion is
expected on Wednesday and Thursday. On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is
expected to move over Jamaica tonight and early Tuesday, across Southeastern Cuba
Tuesday night, and across the Southeast Bahamas on Wednesday.
Maximum sustained winds remain 165 miles per hour with higher gusts. Hurricane
Melissa is a Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.
Some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica
on Tuesday. However, Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba
as an extremely powerful major hurricane and will still be at hurricane strength when
it moves across the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.
Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from the center, and tropical-
storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles.
Residents in the Central and Southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands
should begin to make preparations for the possibility of Hurricane and/or Tropical
Storm conditions beginning late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Residents in the Northern and Northwest Bahamas should closely monitor Alerts
issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology and be ready to prepare for
possible Tropical Storm or Hurricane conditions in the next few days.
Potential Impacts:
Hurricane Melissa, should it continue to move along the forecast track, could bring
tropical storm or hurricane conditions to the islands of the Southeast Bahamas,
including the Turks and Caicos Islands, beginning Tuesday, and the rest of the
Southeast and Central Bahamas on Wednesday through Thursday. However, the
magnitude of potential impacts depends on the intensity of Melissa as it approaches
The Bahamas.
Melissa is forecast to interact with major mountainous landmarks, such as those in
Jamaica and Cuba or Hispaniola, which could potentially weaken the system slightly
as it nears the Southeast and Central Bahamas late Tuesday and Wednesday.
Rainfall Amount:
A total rainfall amount of 4 to 8 inches is expected over the Southeast Bahamas
and 4 to 6 inches over the Turks and Caicos from Tuesday into Wednesday,
resulting in severe flooding.
Residents in the Southeast and Central Bahamas, as well as the Turks and Caicos
Islands, should brace themselves for prolonged periods of strong winds, heavy
rainfall, and coastal inundation beginning Tuesday, should Melissa's forecast track
hold.
The next Alert on Hurricane Melissa will be issued at 3 P.M. EDT.
Issued by: Mary Butler