On October 18th, 2025, the National Hurricane Center became aware of a tropical wave in the Atlantic Ocean, and labeled it as an invest with 35 mile per hour winds. A few days later, on October 21th, 2025, the NHC officially named the now tropical storm “Melissa”. Which at first was projected to meander in the Caribbean around Jamaica and Haiti. This quickly changed as Melissa rapidly intensified on October 25th from a strong tropical storm to a mid range Category 4 hurricane with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour.
As Melissa continued to get stronger, it slowly approached Category 5 status, which it achieved on the 4 am advisory on October 27th, 2025, becoming a Category 5 hurricane with winds of 160 miles per hour sustained, with gusts of up to 195 miles per hour. Over the next few hours, it slowly approached Jamaica, getting stronger until officially making landfall near New Hope, Jamaica on October 28th, with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, with a pressure of 892mb.
Melissa caused mass destruction, not only in Jamaica, but Haiti as well after its outer bands battered the island. The economic impacts of this storm are immense with preliminary estimates of $7 billion in damages for Jamaica, with no confirmed estimate for Haiti as of November 5th. Unfortunately, at least 78 people passed away between Jamaica and Haiti due to this storm due to a variety of factors like the powerful winds knocking over trees or buildings, and flooding. After Melissa struck Jamaica, it weakened down to a Category 2 and struck Cuba, causing significant damage there and causing 2 people to pass away.
Melissa also either broke, or tied records set by other powerful hurricanes. Melissa became the 3rd strongest Atlantic hurricane recorded by pressure, and strongest Atlantic landfall by pressure which was 892 mb, both making the storm tied with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, the 2nd strongest Atlantic hurricane record by wind speed which was 185 miles per hour, tying it with hurricanes such as 2019’s Hurricane Dorian, and 2005’s Hurricane Wilma. Melissa also became the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall recorded by its 185 mile per hour winds, tying it with the aforementioned Labor Day Hurricane and Dorian. Melissa also became the latest Category 5 to make landfall, as it did on October 28th.
This storm will be remembered by those in Jamaica and Haiti as a once in a century storm due to how powerful it was, and will take a lot of time, effort, and money to rebuild.
