Hurricane Melissa slams Jamaica as Category 5, causing catastrophic damage
Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, bringing 185 mph winds and flooding before weakening slightly as it tracked toward Cuba.
October 28, 2025 - 06:31 PM ET • 2 min read
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, bringing powerful winds, life-threatening flooding, and widespread destruction to the Caribbean island nation.
The cyclone, the strongest of the Atlantic season so far, touched down around noon (17:00 GMT) with maximum sustained winds reaching 185 mph (295 km/h), according to reports. Forecasters noted that Melissa's peak intensity featured winds stronger than those recorded during Hurricane Katrina.
Hours after making landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that Melissa had decreased slightly in intensity, downgrading to a Category 4 hurricane. Despite the reduction, the NHC warned that the storm remains extremely potent, accompanied by "catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and storm surge."
As of Tuesday evening, the storm maintained maximum sustained winds of up to 150 mph (240 km/h). The NHC reported that the cyclone was located approximately 15 kilometers south of Montego Bay and was moving in a north-northeast direction at about 8 mph (13 km/h).
Melissa is currently carving a slow path over the island toward Cuba. Authorities in Cuba have ordered the evacuation of nearly 900,000 people in preparation for the storm's arrival.
Melissa is the fourth of five Atlantic hurricanes this year that experts have identified as undergoing "rapid intensification," a process where a storm's wind speed increases dramatically in a short period.
The powerful winds and lashing waves caused significant damage across Jamaica. In Kingston, the capital city located on the southeastern coast, photographs showed boats washed ashore. Jamaica's main electricity provider confirmed that a little over half of the island's customers were without power following the storm's passage.
Residents described harrowing conditions as the center of the storm passed. Kyle Holmes, a father-of-three visiting Jamaica from Bolton, England, for a family wedding, described the moment the storm passed near his hotel in Lucea, located in the island's northwest.
Holmes told the BBC that his family was forced to barricade themselves in their room. He described the moment as "unbearable," noting that the windows and balconies began to rattle violently and "everything was smashing against the building." He reported that the hotel now resembles "a disaster zone."
Recovery and cleanup efforts are just beginning across the island as officials start to assess the full extent of the damage caused by the Category 5 impact. Alerts for strong winds, sudden flooding, and storm surge remain in effect across the region.