Hurricane Melissa: 2025's Most Powerful Storm Slams Jamaica with Catastrophic Force

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) confirmed that Melissa achieved Category 5 status—the highest storm classification—as it approached Jamaica's southern coast Monday evening local time. With maximum sustained winds reaching 282 km/h and a minimum central pressure dropping to 903 millibars, meteorologists warn the slow-moving hurricane will unleash catastrophic destruction across the island nation.

Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness issued an urgent appeal to the country's 2.8 million residents: "Every Jamaican citizen should stay indoors and follow the administration's orders. We will emerge from this crisis and become stronger." The government has opened 881 relief camps and ordered mandatory evacuations from vulnerable coastal areas, including parts of the capital Kingston.​

Death Toll Rises Across Caribbean

The hurricane has already claimed seven lives across the region. Three people died in Jamaica while preparing storm defenses, including deaths from falling trees and electrocution. In Haiti, three people perished from flooding and landslides, while one person died in the Dominican Republic, where another remains missing.

Unprecedented Rainfall and Flooding Risks

Forecasters predict Jamaica could receive up to 1 meter (40 inches) of rainfall in mountainous regions over the next four days, with eastern parts of the island facing the highest totals. Education Minister Dana Morris Dixon warned: "We have never seen such a storm before. It has been raining throughout October, the ground is already soaked, so the possibility of heavy floods and landslides is very high."

The NHC has also warned of life-threatening storm surge reaching 4 meters (13 feet) along Jamaica's southern coast, potentially causing catastrophic coastal flooding.

Regional Impact: Cuba, Bahamas on High Alert

After crossing Jamaica Tuesday morning, Melissa is forecast to strike eastern Cuba Tuesday night as a major hurricane, then move across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday. Cuban authorities have evacuated 500,000 residents in preparation. Hurricane warnings remain in effect for portions of Cuba, the Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands.

The storm's exceptionally slow movement—crawling at just 3 mph—has intensified over unusually warm Caribbean waters, contributing to its rapid strengthening and increasing the duration of destructive conditions.

UNICEF has warned that approximately 1.6 million children across the Caribbean are at risk from Hurricane Melissa's impacts, underscoring the massive humanitarian challenge ahead. The United Nations has already activated $4 million in emergency funding each for Cuba and Haiti through anticipatory action frameworks.