Category: Posts EN

Hurricane Melissa Blasts Jamaica, One of the Strongest Atlantic Hurricanes Ever

Written by Team Morecast

 

Category Five Hurricane Melissa ripped through western Jamaica on Tuesday. Landfall occurred around 1 p.m. local time near the town of New Hope after days of rapid intensification. Just before landfall, Melissa’s sustained winds had risen to 185 mph (300 kph), making it one of the strongest hurricanes ever to make landfall in the Atlantic Basin.

 

 

 

Melissa was slow to develop, traversing the Atlantic as a weak disturbance a few weeks ago. As it entered the Caribbean last week, the disturbance slowed to a crawl and began to intensify. Rapid intensification occurred over the weekend and by Monday Melissa was a maximized Category Five on the Saffir-Simpson scale. The storm was so strong in fact that Hurricane Hunter research aircraft were forced to turn away from the eye at one point due to severe turbulence. Conditions rapidly deteriorated on the western side of Jamaica on Tuesday with trees and houses flattened and widespread power outages. The roof came off of a hospital in Black River and the St. Elizabeth Technical High School reported severe damage.

 

 

 

Melissa was close enough to Hispaniola and Jamaica to push torrential rainfall into the islands days ahead of landfall. Rainfall totals have probably approached 2-3 feet (610-915 mm) in some areas, leading to numerous landslides and rivers surging out of their banks. Many communities report being underwater due to the severe fresh water flooding and storm surge. The capital city of Kingston was mostly spared the highest winds and flooding, but communities in the west have been devastated. This is particularly true given the relatively weak infrastructure of poverty-stricken Jamaica. Melissa is now approaching eastern Cuba and will pass through the eastern Bahamas as well before heading into the open Atlantic.

Super Typhoon Ragasa Rips Through Philippine Islands and Taiwan, Currently Lashing Hong Kong

Written by Team Morecast

 

Super Typhoon Ragasa (aka Nando in the Philippines) quickly intensified earlier this week over the western Pacific. By early Monday, it became the strongest cyclone of 2025 anywhere in the world with winds up to 270 kph (168 mph). Ragasa raked northern Luzon and and the adjacent Babuyan Islands in the Philippines that day. Numerous trees and powerlines were downed, plunging nearly a million residents into darkness. Waves up to 3 m (10 feet) were observed along the coast of Cagayan.

 

 

 

Eastern Taiwan was spared the worst of the destructive winds as the typhoon passed well to the south. Unfortunately, very heavy rains did fall in the outer bands. These torrential rains breached the dam holding the Matai’an Creek Barrier Lake, sending floodwaters racing into downstream towns (see video above). At least 14 deaths are blamed on the flash flood with more than a hundred missing.

 

 

The typhoon has weakened only slightly crossing the South China Sea. Landfall will occur later today along the coast of Guangdong province in southern China. Although it’s passing south of Hong Kong, the city is still seeing high winds with a Signal 10 wind warning in effect, the highest level. Major surge flooding is also occurring (see video above). Evacuation orders forced more than 750,000 residents of South China out of their homes.

Torrential Rainfall Leads to Killer Flash Flooding in Indonesia!

Written by Team Morecast

 

A state of emergency has been declared in portions of Indonesia, including the tourist hotspot of Bali, due to major flash flooding. Copious rains have been sweeping the region for the last few days with numerous rivers surging well beyond their normal banks. At least 20 fatalities have been reported in what officials have labeled the worst flooding in at least a decade.

 

 

 

The heavy rains started on Monday and didn’t ease until Wednesday. The weather station in Bali reported 385 mm of rain in only 24 hours at one point. Although the recent rains are falling in the well-recognized rainy season, these prodigious rainfall rates are much heavier than normal. The rising rivers have sparked hundreds of evacuations. Many communities have been cutoff with water over major roads and at least two bridges significantly damaged. Drainage systems already under pressure from the busy tourist activity have been overwhelmed, increasing the risk of a major health crisis due to sewage backup.

Major Winter Storm Blasts Southeast Australia to Close the Season!

Written by Team Morecast

 

One of the worst storms on the winter rolled across southeast Australia late Thursday into Friday. Lower elevations saw high winds knock down trees and powerlines, leading to widespread power outages. Heavy snow fell in the mountains, combining with the winds to create dangerous blizzard conditions.

 

 

 

Moderately gusty winds were a widespread hazard across much of South Australia, New South Wales, and Victoria. However, the strongest winds with gusts up to 130 kph (80 mph) were associated with fast-moving storms. These storms moved first across the Adelaide metro on Friday morning. The Bureau of Meteorology even analyzed two tornadoes that ripped through the northern suburbs, not unprecedented but certainly very rare. Numerous trees and powerlines were knocked down and more than 13,000 households lost power in the region. Winds peaked over 100 kph (62 mph) in Melbourne on Friday night.

 

 

Snow has been falling for several days in the Victorian Alps, but the heaviest accumulations occurred as the winter storm came through to end the week. Storm totals up to 77 cm (30 in) have been reported in the highest ranges. These snows combined with wind gusts to 125 kph (78 mph) to create crippling blizzard conditions including near-zero visibilities and drifts of a few meters in spots. Snow levels crashed down as the storm moved through with a light coating as low as 600 m (2,000 ft), just minutes outside of the major cities.