Hurricane Melissa, downgraded to category 2, is heading toward northern Europe and could positively influence French weather next week. Although France will not be directly affected, its residual effects promise more stable and mild conditions in early November. Images of devastation persist in Jamaica and Cuba after its passage.
Images of devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and Cuba are multiplying since its passage over these Caribbean islands on Tuesday, with violent winds and torrential rains. The hurricane, which reached winds nearing 300 km/h in Jamaica, has turned the island into a 'disaster zone', causing collapsed roofs, flooded streets, and uprooted trees. The Jamaican prime minister alerted on Monday to risks of 'destructive winds' and 'catastrophic flooding'.
Although France will not experience direct impact, Melissa's effects will be felt in Europe in the coming days. 'Melissa will lose its tropical characteristics as it moves northeast,' explains meteorologist Guillaume Séchet, manager of the Météo-Villes site. Currently classified as category 2 with winds of 195 km/h upon hitting Cuba, the hurricane should transform into a classic depression off the US coasts by Friday, October 31, before reaching the north Atlantic during All Saints' weekend.
On Monday, November 3, the depression will circulate south of Iceland, provoking 'a significant movement of mild air rising from the Azores toward the British Isles'. This will lead to an anticyclonic ridge extending to France. 'After a humid weekend, the ex-hurricane Melissa could favor the return of calm and more stable weather across the country,' summarizes Guillaume Séchet. The initially forecasted rainy scenario for the week of November 3 to 9 is thus receding: little or no rain over most of the territory, often clear skies, mild daytime temperatures, especially in the south. Only the Northwest regions, near the Channel, might see attenuated fronts.