Powerful Hurricane Melissa Devastates Jamaica, Heads for Cuba

On October 29, 2025, Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 4 storm, bore down on Cuba after ripping a path of destruction through Jamaica. The hurricane was one of the most powerful on record to hit the island nation, packing ferocious sustained winds of 185 miles per hour.

Melissa's passage over Jamaica was slow and brutal, leaving a trail of devastation in its wake. Homes were destroyed, infrastructure was severely damaged, and the country's agricultural heartland, the Saint Elizabeth region, was left "underwater." The full extent of the damage is still being assessed, but the Jamaican government has already declared the island a "disaster area."

As Melissa approaches eastern Cuba, the National Hurricane Center warns that the storm is "re-strengthening" and is expected to make landfall as an "extremely dangerous major hurricane" in the next few hours. The hurricane is also forecast to impact the Bahamas and Bermuda in the coming days.

The impact of Melissa's destruction in Jamaica has been described as "catastrophic," with the country's climate change minister citing "severely damaged public infrastructure" and hospitals. The Jamaican Red Cross is already distributing aid, and the UN is planning an airlift of relief supplies to the island.

The intensification of Melissa is being attributed to the effects of human-driven climate change, which scientists say is responsible for the increasing frequency and destructive potential of such storms. As the world grapples with the consequences of a changing climate, the people of Jamaica and Cuba brace for the full force of this latest hurricane to hit their shores.