Home / Disasters and Accidents / Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica, Threatens Widespread Destruction
Catastrophic Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica, Threatens Widespread Destruction
27 Oct
Summary
- Hurricane Melissa is a powerful Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds
- Melissa is expected to bring catastrophic flooding, storm surge, and landslides to Jamaica and Cuba
- The hurricane is forecast to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday morning
As of October 27, 2025, Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 5 storm, is churning toward Jamaica with potentially devastating impacts expected across the Caribbean. The hurricane currently has maximum sustained winds of 160 mph, making it an extremely dangerous system.
Melissa is located about 135 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and is moving slowly westward at 3 mph. The National Hurricane Center warns that the storm will bring life-threatening conditions to Jamaica and Cuba, with destructive winds, catastrophic flooding, and storm surge expected.
Forecasters predict that Melissa will bring rainfall of 15 to 30 inches to portions of Jamaica and an additional 8 to 16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday. Some local totals could reach as high as 40 inches of rain, leading to catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides.
The hurricane is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday morning and then move across southeastern Cuba on Tuesday night. Tropical storm conditions are already occurring in Jamaica, and destructive hurricane conditions are anticipated to begin later tonight or early Tuesday.
While no direct U.S. landfall is currently predicted, the hurricane could potentially impact Bermuda by Thursday night. Melissa is expected to accelerate northeastward and transition to an extratropical system by Friday.
