Once Melissa crosses eastern Cuba overnight, it won’t be done wreaking havoc.
The hurricane is expected to move through the southeastern or central Bahamas on Wednesday, likely as a strong Category 2 at that point. Even with some weakening, Melissa will bring damaging winds, dangerous storm surge and 5 to 10 inches of rain capable of triggering flash floods and landslides across the islands.
The Turks and Caicos islands will also be in the path of Melissa’s outer core, bringing tropical-storm conditions with hurricane-force gusts, dangerous surf, and up to 3 inches of rain that could trigger flooding.
By Wednesday night, Melissa will catch a ride on the jet stream and begin accelerating to the northeast over open Atlantic waters. But the historic and persistent storm will not be quite done yet. Melissa is forecast to hurtle toward Bermuda, maintaining hurricane strength, by Thursday night, where it could deliver a brief but intense round of wind and drenching rain.
After that, Melissa should continue racing into the open Atlantic — but its impacts and devastation across the Caribbean and western Atlantic will linger long after it leaves the region.
