Devastation in Jamaica, Cuba, and Haiti as Melissa Swipes at Bermuda Tonight

Communication systems are down, so we still don't know the total breadth and depth of the catastrophe in Jamaica. But what we know is horrible. The western half of the island was devastated. Montego Bay, the heart of the tourism economy in the country, is out of commission. Crops were destroyed. Cities and towns were inundated. It will take years to recover.

The incredible 185 mph winds, torrential rains, and storm surge ripped off roofs and flooded cities and towns in both fresh and salt water. In addition, the winds blasted trees and crops well inland, not only defoliating them, but covering them with salt. Vast swaths of the normally verdant country will be brown for some time to come.

Recovery will be slow and agonizing. Jamaica will need help. The Kingston airport was damaged but will soon be able to receive aid flights. If there is any good news in this horrendous event, it's that Kingston will recover relatively quickly so it can act as a base of operations for the recovery effort for much of the rest of the country.

Melissa hit eastern Cuba hard. The depth of the damage is not yet clear, but in Santiago de Cuba and Holguín, there is no doubt that the situation is very difficult.

Haiti has been on the periphery of Melissa, but an outer band has continually pumped tropical moisture across that country along with gusty winds. Mudslides and flooding have been deadly. No doubt the situation is horrible in that battered country.

It will take a few more days for the flooding to completely subside in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Hurricane Melissa tracked across part of the central and southeastern Bahamas yesterday. There are no solid reports yet, but flooding and damage is likely. In general, the Bahamians are hurricane-ready, so hopefully everybody was in a safe place.

Melissa has strengthened a bit and the eye has grown to about 70 miles across, which mean that strong winds extend farther from the center.

This evening, Melissa will pass near Bermuda. The island needs to be ready for hurricane conditions beginning later today. The storm is accelerating, so the impacts should not last terribly long.

This is the fourth time this year that Bermuda has had to prepare for a possible hurricane hit. The island is well fortified, but it's getting pretty ridiculous.

The long-range forecasts show a weather pattern over the Gulf, Florida, and the Southeast that should be hostile to tropical systems. The pattern over the Caribbean still looks reasonably hospitable, however. There are no signs of development, but we'll watch, just in case.