Hurricane Melissa has been retired by the World Meteorological Organization, WMO, from the rotating list of hurricane names following the damage and loss of life that hurricane Melissa caused in the Caribbean in October, last year. The hurricane committee has replaced the name hurricane Melissa with hurricane Molly.
According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, hurricane Melissa is a category 5 hurricane with life-threatening winds of about 300 km/h. The hurricane caused damaging winds in Cuba and Jamaica and floods in Cuba, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Jamaica.
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Deadly Destruction Causd by Hurricane Melissa
In addition, the hurricane caused more than 90 deaths in Haiti, Jamaica, and other Caribbean islands. Hurricane Melissa is ranked among the strongest hurricanes to land in the Atlantic, joining the Labor Day hurricane in the USA (1935) and Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019.
WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo stated, “The risks associated with tropical cyclones are both real and increasing. It only takes one landfalling tropical cyclone to roll back years of development. And this was unfortunately the case with Hurricane Melissa,”
In a video message Celeste Saulo highlighted the impacts of the hurricane adding that the recovery will also take a longtime, “Recovery will be long and hard. Despite the force of Melissa, loss of life was in the dozens rather than the thousands. This is testimony to the accuracy of advance forecasts and the use of these early warnings to support early action. Hurricane Committee Members can be proud of themselves for saving so many lives and helping to protect key sectors of the economy like transport, energy and fisheries.”
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Why WMO has Retired Hurricane Melissa and Other Storm Names
WMO retires Names of storms that are life-threatening and damaging. Once a storm’s name is retired by the WMO, a new name must be chosen that has a different name and starts with the same letter as the retired name. Molly, which replaces Melissa, will be placed on the list at the same position as Melissa because these names are recycled every six years. Molly is predicted to make her first appearance during the 2031 hurricane season.
Melissa has joined other retired Atlantic hurricanes such as Irma, Katrina, Maria, and Ian, which are known for their life-threatening and damaging characteristics.
