Key Facts & Timeline
Melissa formed from a tropical wave in the Atlantic, becoming a named storm on October 21, 2025.
It rapidly intensified starting October 25, evolving into a major hurricane and reaching Category 5 strength with sustained winds around 185 mph (≈295 km/h) and a central pressure near 892 mb.
Melissa made landfall on Jamaica’s southwestern coast (near New Hope in Westmoreland Parish) around October 28 while at or close to its peak intensity.
It is classified as the third most intense Atlantic hurricane ever by pressure and one of the strongest by wind speed.
Areas Affected & Impacts
Jamaica: Braced for catastrophic wind, storm surge (up to ~13 ft/4 m predicted) and torrential rain. Authorities warned of “total structural failure” in areas near the storm’s core.
Hispaniola (Haiti and the Dominican Republic): Before landfall, heavy rainfall caused flooding and landslides. Three deaths in Haiti were confirmed.
Other Caribbean islands: Forecasts included strong rainfall bands, flooding risk, and evacuations in vulnerable coastal/low-lying zones.
Why Melissa Is Noteworthy
Rapid intensification + slow movement: Its strengthening was extremely fast, and its slow forward motion increased the risk of prolonged rain, flooding, and erosion.
Extremely strong for landfall: For Jamaica (and the Atlantic basin), a Category 5 landfall is very rare—making this a historic event.
The Washington Post
Climate context: Experts link such powerful hurricanes to higher sea surface temperatures and other changing climate conditions.
The Washington Post
What to Watch & Prepare For
Even after landfall, strong winds, torrential rain (potential 20-40 inches in some terrain) and deadly landslides/flooding remain major threats.
The Weather Channel
Infrastructure damage: power outages, communications breakdown, and major damage to housing and roads are expected. Jamaica already had ~35% of customers lose power early in the event.
Humanitarian & recovery needs: Very likely heavy and long-lasting recovery efforts, especially in mountainous terrain, coastal communities, and places with weaker infrastructure.
Implications & Takeaways
This is a wake-up event: The kind of extreme storm Melissa represents may become more common under warming-ocean/low-wind-shear conditions.
Disaster readiness is critical: especially for coastal/low-lying/mountainous locales — evacuation, shelter, secure infrastructure, early warning systems.
For businesses/brands (including your work): Storms like these can affect supply chains, logistics, communications, shipping — worth factoring into risk models.