Topline
Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica early Tuesday afternoon with estimated top sustained winds of 185 mph, making landfall in the southwestern portion of the island as one of the most powerful storms on record in the Atlantic basin.
Hurricane Melissa approaches Jamaica on Tuesday.
Associated Press
Timeline
More than 530,000 Jamaicans were without power as of Tuesday evening, according to multiple outlets, noting about 15,000 people in the country are in shelters.
The National Hurricane Center warned about major flash flooding, landslides and strong winds in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Eastern Cuba as the latter country braced for the Category 4 hurricane Tuesday evening.
Melissa was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane , the National Hurricane Center said, with maximum wind speeds of 150 mph.
The center of the storm was reported as just 10 miles south of Montego Bay, one of Jamaica’s largest cities.
Conditions in Jamaica remain “extremely dangerous and life-threatening” as the storm remains above the island, officials said, warning residents to remain in shelter.
Richard Solomon, the mayor of St. Elizabeth Parish’s capital of Black River, said “things were deteriorating by the minute” in his town.
In a television interview just before the storm made landfall, Solomon said he was worried about the southern coast, which was previously damaged by Hurricane Beryl in 2024.
“Honestly, I think we are going to be hit hard, and I think the entire parish will be severely damaged,” Solomon said.
Hurricane Melissa remained at Category 5 intensity, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, despite passing over mountainous terrain and being inland for around two hours, according to a National Hurricane Center update.
The storm was crawling across the island at a speed of only 8 mph, forecasters said, while “catastrophic” flooding, winds and storm surges remain ongoing.
Jamaica’s South East Regional Health Authority warned residents that rising water levels could force crocodiles out of their typical range to seek higher ground in residential areas, local outlets on the island reported.
Starlink will be free for people impacted by Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica and the Bahamas through the end of November, the satellite internet provider owned by SpaceX said Tuesday afternoon, as the storm threatens communication and infrastructure in Jamaica.
Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 storm near New Hope in St. Elizabeth Parish in southwestern Jamaica, the National Hurricane Center said.
Melissa was still sustaining wind speeds of 185 miles per hour when it made landfall.
Wind gusts could reach even higher speeds over 200 mph in Jamaica’s mountains, National Hurricane Center Director Michael Brennan said in an earlier update.
More than 200,000 people were placed under evacuation orders in eastern Cuba, the Associated Press reported.
Melissa could bring 15-30 inches of rainfall to Jamaica, the National Hurricane Center said, while the storm surge could reach up to 13 feet above ground level areas close to where the storm makes landfall.
Power is out for about 240,000 customers, or 35% of all customers of the country’s utility company Jamaica Public Service, Daryl Paz, Jamaica’s Minister for Energy, Science, Telecommunications and Transport said at a press conference.
Hurricane Melissa’s eyewall began approaching the shore of Jamaica, and officials warned this was the last chance for residents to find shelter as wind speeds are expected to rise quickly after the eye passes.
Wind speeds strengthened to 185 miles per hour, tying the record for the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record (the strongest was Hurricane Allen in 1980, which sustained speeds up to 190 miles per hour).
Hurricane Melissa’s eye is expected to reach Jamaica in the “next few hours,” the National Hurricane Center said in an update, warning residents to remain sheltered while the storm passes.
Melissa is now sustaining wind speeds of up to 180 miles per hour, forecasters said.
Waves crash on the coastline of Kingston, Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island on Tuesday morning.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
A person walks on a deserted in Kingston, Jamaica as Hurricane Melissa approaches.
Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
How Does Melissa Compare To Other Storms?
Melissa is already one of the most powerful storms to make landfall in recorded history. Only two others made landfall while sustaining 185 mph wind speeds—the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, which struck Florida, and Hurricane Dorian, which struck the Bahamas in 2019. Only one hurricane has ever sustained higher wind speeds—Hurricane Allen in 1980. Hurricane Allen’s wind speed reached 190 mph, but the storm weakened with wind speeds dropping to 115 mph before it made landfall. After making landfall, Melissa’s pressure was also recorded at 892 millibars. Lower pressure means higher storm intensity, and only two hurricanes have recorded lower pressure levels in history in the Atlantic basin.
Key Background
Melissa formed as a tropical storm in the Caribbean on Tuesday, October 21 before strengthening into a hurricane on Saturday. Melissa is set to become the strongest hurricane Jamaica has ever seen since record keeping began, the Associated Press reported. “For Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure” Anne-Claire Fontan, a tropical cyclone specialist at the World Meteorological Organization, told reporters at a press briefing, labeling the upcoming storm a “catastrophic situation” for the island nation. Forecasters at the NHC warned Jamaicans to seek shelter, predicting flash flooding, landslides, destructive winds and life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s coast. These conditions could damage infrastructure, isolate communities on the island and cut off power and communications on the island. “Total structural failure is possible near the path of Melissa’s center,” the NHC added.
Where Else Will Melissa Strike?
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center expect Melissa to move northeast, passing eastern Cuba and Hispaniola. Flash flooding and landslides are expected in Haiti through this week, which could potentially isolate communities in the Caribbean nation. The southern Dominican Republic could also see similar conditions, the NHS warned. Forecasters are expecting similar rainfall, flash flooding, damaging winds and landslides in eastern Cuba, as well as a life-threatening storm surge. The storm is expected to move towards the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands on Wednesday.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacharyfolk/2025/10/28/hurricane-melissa-live-updates-over-half-a-million-jamaicans-without-power-as-storm-rips-through-caribbean/
