In her presentation during the 27 October 2025 press conference, the director of the Weather Institute (Indomet), Gloria Ceballos explained that the system had been followed closely from when it was an active trough to when it developed into a tropical storm and hurricane 5.
She said all throughout, the international models (US and European forecasts) did not agree on the path the system would take. Ceballos said that local weather forecasters were aware that the temperatures of the waters in the Caribbean were above 30C, very hot for the season, and these would create a pressure pot to develop a weather system of concern. Thus from the start, Indomet got the Dominican emergency system activated to prepare for the worst.
Ceballos said they told the government that this was a system similar to Tropical Storm Noel in 2007 that caused intense flooding and the death of at least 80 persons. Aggravating the situation of Melissa was the slow speed of the system. The normal speed of a storm is 24 km per hour, and this storm was fluctuating from being stationary to six kilometers per hour.
The system was well to the south of the Dominican Republic but had enormous outer bands.
Indomet explained the situation and this led to the extraordinary measures taken by the Dominican government, including the calling off of work and school since Wednesday, 22 October 2025. It had been raining since the previous Monday.
Gloria Ceballos said that the atmospheric instability and the outer bands will continue to impact the country through Thursday, 30 October, reducing in intensity as the days pass.
President Luis Abinader called for people to pray for Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba that continue to be in the path of the storm. Haiti continues under tropical storm watch. The red alert only continues for four provinces to the southwest that are Barahona, Pedernales, Independencia and Bahoruco.
Local weather forecasters have discarded the possibility that Hurricane Melissa would turn to the east and impact the Dominican Republic.
DR1 Weather forecaster Mike Fisher continues to share his precise and comprehensive observations to understand the slow storm as it edges to Jamaica.
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La Semanal Minute 52
DR1 Weather
28 October 2025