Overview
- The National Hurricane Center reported 145 mph winds with the eye about 115–125 miles south-southwest of Kingston, moving west at 5 mph, and said a Category 5 peak is possible.
- Officials said the core is virtually certain to pass over Jamaica Monday into Tuesday, with 15–30 inches of rain forecast and local maxima near 40 inches plus a storm surge up to roughly 13 feet on the south coast.
- Jamaica closed both international airports, opened roughly 650–900 shelters, and issued mandatory evacuations for areas including Port Royal and Old Harbour Bay, urging residents to seek shelter immediately.
- Outer bands have already caused deadly floods and landslides, with at least three fatalities in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic and warnings of power, communications, and road outages that could isolate communities.
- Forecast guidance shows the system crossing southeastern Cuba Tuesday night and the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, with watches and warnings extended to parts of the Turks and Caicos.