REUTERS/via SNO Sites/CIRA/NOAA
Hurricane Melissa, which has developed into a Category 5 storm, moves north in the Caribbean Sea towards Jamaica and Cuba in a composite satellite image obtained by Reuters on October 27, 2025. CIRA/NOAA/Handout via REUTERS
Forming rapidly over the southern Caribbean in late October, Hurricane Melissa became one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record, leaving a trail of devastation across several Caribbean nations.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, around 1 p.m. on Tuesday, October 28, as a Category Five storm with winds of 185 mph. Melissa moved both strongly and slowly northeastward around Jamaica and exited around the northern coast, near St. Ann parish. The storm caused major destruction to infrastructure and left the majority of Jamaica without power. Over 25,000 people were in shelters, with more continuing to come as the storms wrecked their houses, leaving them homeless. Melissa caused over $22 billion in damage and economic loss, with rebuilding estimated to take a decade or longer.