Updated Saturday, October 25, 2025 @ 7:00 PM EDT (2300 UTC)

ARRL thanks Bobby Graves, KB5HAV, and the Hurricane Watch Net (www.hwn.org) for this update.

Hurricane Watch Net Monitoring Hurricane Melissa

The information contained in this email is being shared with amateur radio networks, government and non-government agencies, and amateur radio news outlets.

The Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) is closely monitoring Hurricane Melissa, currently located south of Hispaniola and Jamaica. The storm is nearly stationary, drifting west at approximately 3 mph, and is forecast to intensify to a Category 5 hurricane within 48 hours. Heavy rainfall is already affecting southern Hispaniola, causing life-threatening flooding and mudslides. Similar conditions are expected in Jamaica in the coming days.

Activation Status

Melissa is now a hurricane and well within our 300-mile activation criteria. For now, hurricane-force winds are forecast to remain offshore until Tuesday evening.

Normally, a Net activation is straightforward — we set a start time and an approximate end time. Melissa is not one of those storms. The closest comparisons are Matthew (2016) and Dorian (2019) — both stalled, high-intensity hurricanes that required flexible, around-the-clock operations for days.

Since hurricane-force winds remain offshore and the storm is expected to parallel the island of Jamaica, our tentative plan is to activate Monday morning at 8:00 AM EDT (1200 UTC) on 14.325 MHz, with 40-meter operations beginning at 7:00 PM EDT (2300 UTC). Depending on propagation and storm evolution, both frequencies may operate simultaneously. If the storm changes course toward land on Sunday, HWN will activate immediately.

Operational Frequencies

• 20 meters: 14.325 MHz (USB) – daytime operations
• 40 meters: 7.268 MHz (LSB) – nighttime operations (7:00 PM–7:00 AM EDT)

As a reminder, HWN also provides Health and Welfare Traffic, and backup communications for Emergency Operations Centers, Red Cross shelters, and other agencies, sharing critical damage assessment information as requested.

Updates and changes to operational plans will be posted on www.hwn.org and HWN social media channels.

HWN thanks all amateur radio operators and nets for maintaining clear frequencies, enabling timely communication to those in harm’s way.

Updated 10/24/2025

Important Notice: Emergency Frequencies — Keep Clear During Contest Weekend

As the Caribbean faces potential hurricane impacts, IARU Region 2 has activated emergency nets on the following frequencies:

• 40 meters: 7.198 MHz and 7.098 MHz
• 20 meters: 14.198 MHz

If the Hurricane Watch Net (HWN) activates, they will be operating on:

• 14.325 MHz
• 7.268 MHz

The amateur radio station at the National Hurricane Center, WX4NHC, will also be monitoring the HWN frequencies for real-time weather and situation reports.

This weekend coincides with the CQ World Wide SSB Contest, one of the busiest times on the bands. All operators are urged to exercise extra vigilance and avoid transmitting on or near these emergency and hurricane watch frequencies.

These nets are providing critical communication links supporting the Caribbean Islands and affected regions. Please ensure they have clear and reliable access to designated frequencies.

In summary:

• Keep clear of 7.198, 7.098, 7.268, 14.198, and 14.325 MHz
• Be aware of possible emergency or health-and-welfare traffic on nearby frequencies
• Operate responsibly and help maintain open frequencies for those supporting hurricane response efforts.

Original news story, October 24, 2025:

All eyes and ears are on Tropical Storm Melissa, now in the Caribbean Sea. As of 6:30:00 AM EDT on Thursday October 23, 2025, the National Weather Service Hurricane Center in Miami, Florida reports that Melissa is crawling over the central Caribbean sea and is expected to bring heavy rains and life-threatening flooding  to portions of Hispaniola and Jamaica over the weekend.

A hurricane watch remains in effect for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince. A tropical storm watch is in effect for Jamaica.

Currently melissa is located about 240 miles SSE Kingston Jamaica and about 300 miles from the SW Port of Au Prince Haiti. Maximum sustained winds are 50 miles per hour (mph) and the present movement is WNW at 3 mph.

“Melissa is definitely going to need to be watched. If it makes it into the Gulf, it could be a big problem,” said ARRL Director of Emergency Management Josh Johnston, KE5MHV.

The Hurricane Watch Net is carefully monitoring the storm’s development. While earlier appraisals weren’t certain of its direction, most of the projections now expect a turn to the northwest then north over the next few days. This puts Haiti and Jamaica in its sights later this week. Tropical storm-force winds extend to 115 miles from the center of the storm. 

According to the National Hurricane Center’s latest bulletin, hurricane conditions in Haiti might begin on Thursday, then in Jamaica Thursday and Friday. The greatest threat is heavy rainfall in Haiti and Dominican Republic with 5 to 10 inches expected through Friday. 

ARRL News will have any further updates as the storm progresses.