Hurricane Expert Explains Category 5 Hurricane Melissa's Prolonged Trajectory

Hurricane Melissa's Slowing Speed and Prolonged Impact

• 🌀 Hurricane Melissa has begun to pick up speed, moving at 7-9 miles per hour, a slight increase from its previously near-stationary state.
• ⚠️ Despite the acceleration, the storm is still considered slow-moving for a tropical system, leading to expectations of prolonged impacts.
• ⏳ The slow pace is anticipated to continue for at least another day, with gradual acceleration expected as it moves north.

Areas Facing Severe Effects

• 🌧️ Hispaniola, including Haiti, is still experiencing significant flooding issues due to outer bands of the storm, even as the main system makes landfall further west.
• 🇨🇺 Eastern Cuba is forecast to experience landfall as a major hurricane early Wednesday morning.
• 📉 While wind intensity may decrease over land, flooding potential in eastern Cuba, particularly in its mountainous regions, remains a major concern.
• 🏝️ Following Cuba, the storm is expected to move towards the Bahamas and Turks and Caicos, where it is forecasted to be a Category 2 storm.

Preparation Timelines and US Rip Currents

• ⏰ Residents in Jamaica are urged to reach their safe spaces immediately as landfall is imminent.
• ⏳ Cuba has only a few hours left for storm preparations as conditions will deteriorate significantly later today.
• 🌃 Residents in the Bahamas have until possibly tomorrow morning or tonight to prepare.
• 🌊 Although the storm is not expected to make direct landfall in the United States, dangerous rip currents are anticipated along US beaches later this weekend, requiring extreme caution for beachgoers.
• ✈️ A dip in the jet stream is driving the storm's trajectory away from the United States and out into the Atlantic.