Hurricanes

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Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica as its strongest storm in recorded history Hurricane Melissa was set to pummel Jamaica on Tuesday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago. Read more.

What to know: Hours before the storm, the government said it had done all it could to prepare as it warned of catastrophic damage. “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”   Melissa also was expected to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday as a powerful hurricane. It was forecast to strike the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.   The storm already was blamed for seven deaths in the Caribbean, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤ WATCH: US Air Force provides views from inside Hurricane Melissa

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Hurricane Melissa made ‘catastrophic’ Jamaica landfall with Cuba, Bahamas in sights

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday afternoon as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful storms on record with the threat of  “catastrophic flash flooding, landslides, and destructive winds,” according to the National Hurricane Center, and as of Tuesday night was moving toward eastern Cuba.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/28/extremely-dangerous-cat-5-hurricane-melissa-nears-jamaica-landfall/?

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Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica as devastating Category 5 storm

The Category 5 storm is one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of devastating flash flooding and numerous landslides from the hurricane with 185 mph winds. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

Photos show Hurricane Melissa’s impact on the Caribbean   Melissa Slams Jamaica Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica’s southwest coast yesterday with 185 mph winds. The Category 5 storm is among the strongest Atlantic hurricanes and the most powerful to hit Jamaica since record-keeping began 174 years ago. The storm caused widespread power outages and road closures, making it difficult to immediately ascertain damage and possible casualties. Prime Minister Andrew Holness had warned that Jamaica’s infrastructure was not built to withstand the storm, whose winds doubled from 70 to 140 mph over the weekend. Melissa is the fourth of this season’s five Atlantic hurricanes to undergo rapid intensification—a speed increase of at least 35 mph in 24 hours. Scientists say warmer waters fuel the phenomenon. The Caribbean waters Melissa traveled over were 2.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than average for this time of year. Melissa is forecast to move across southeastern Cuba today and into the Bahamas by this evening, as of this writing. Monitor live tracker here, and see photos of the storm's impact here.

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Hurricane Melissa blamed for dozens of deaths; storm departs Cuba headed for Bahamas

Hurricane Melissa struck Cuba early Wednesday still as a major Category 3 hurricane a day after slamming into Jamaica as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record, according to the National Hurricane Center.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/29/hurricane-melissa-strikes-cuba-with-bahamas-in-sights/?

? Hurricane wind record

A satellite photo of Hurricane Melissa after it made landfall in southwestern Jamaica yesterday. Image: NOAA via Getty Images Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica yesterday as one of the most powerful hurricanes on record. The storm, which made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, tied the record for the strongest wind speeds by an Atlantic storm while making landfall. Melissa's sustained 185 mph winds were matched only by Dorian, which battered the Bahamas in 2019, and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane in the Florida Keys. Get the latest ... More photos.

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Hurricane Melissa

Melissa made landfall in Cuba earlier today as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. More than 700,000 people have been evacuated as officials warn of life-threatening flash floods and landslides. This comes after Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday, causing extensive damage and prompting the prime minister to declare the country a disaster area. The storm is responsible for at least seven deaths across the Caribbean and is forecast to move through the Bahamas later today as a strong Category 2 hurricane.   Melissa is a beast among a string of monster Atlantic storms. Scientists explain Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica with record-tying 185 mph winds Tuesday, was a beast that stood out as extreme even in a record number of monster storms spawned over the last decade in a superheated Atlantic Ocean. https://apnews.com/article/hurricane-jamaica-melissa-global-warming-climate-8a409c1206f55ea45b372c892ff894b3?   Hurricane Melissa impacts southeastern Bahamas, after dozens killed across Caribbean Hurricane Melissa left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Cuba, Jamaica and Haiti on Wednesday, knocking out power and forcing residents from their homes in inundated towns, and it continues to pass through the Bahamas as a weakened storm. https://apnews.com/live/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-cuba-tracker-updates?   Hurricane Melissa leaves dozens dead in trail of destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica Hurricane Melissa left dozens dead and widespread destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, where roofless homes, fallen utility poles and water-logged furniture dominated the landscape Wednesday. Wednesday afternoon, Melissa was centered about 150 miles south of the Bahamas and had top sustained winds of 100 mph and was moving northeast at 14 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. Read more.

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Hurricane Melissa

Melissa has restrengthened into a Category 2 hurricane as it moves away from the Bahamas and heads northeast toward Bermuda. The storm has already carved a trail of destruction across the Caribbean, hammering Jamaica, Cuba and neighboring islands with torrential rain and powerful winds. Officials say Melissa has killed at least 30 people — though the actual toll is uncertain as authorities continue assessing the damage. In Cuba, flooding remains the biggest concern hours after the storm slammed into the island on Wednesday. Meanwhile, officials in Jamaica say "catastrophic" isn't a strong enough word to describe the scale of devastation in some of the hardest-hit areas. More than 70% the country is without power and officials warn that repairing critical infrastructure could take weeks, if not longer.

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Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba pick up the pieces after Melissa’s destruction

SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba (AP) — The rumble of large machinery, whine of chain saws and chopping of machetes echoed through communities across the northern Caribbean on Thursday as they dug out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa and surveyed the damage left behind.

https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/30/haiti-jamaica-and-cuba-pick-up-the-pieces-after-melissas-destruction/?

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Despair spreads across historic seaport in Jamaica that Hurricane Melissa demolished

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica this week near the coastal town of Black River, which the government has described as “ground zero.” Nearly 90% of roofs were destroyed as the Category 5 storm snapped power lines and toppled concrete structures. Hunger is growing as people in Black River and beyond scramble for relief among the ruins. Helicopters are hovering over isolated communities and dropping food as crews rush to reopen roads. At least 19 people were reported killed in Jamaica, including several in St. Elizabeth parish, where Black River is located. Read more.

RELATED COVERAGE ➤

‘It’s home': Caribbean diaspora from Miami to New York fuels Hurricane Melissa relief efforts Phony AI-generated videos of Hurricane Melissa flood social media sites How to help those impacted by Hurricane Melissa   ‘Blows my mind’: Hurricane Melissa wasn’t just a Category 5, it showed ‘extraordinary’ intensity Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall on Tuesday on the south coast of Jamaica, not only made history, the storm shocked hurricane experts with its abilities. https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2025/10/31/blows-my-mind-hurricane-melissa-wasnt-just-a-category-5-it-was-exceptional/?

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HURRICANE CENTER: All Clear, But There’s Something Notable East Of Florida

BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2025 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The hurricane tracking map is clear as November gets underway, but there is something being watched by the National Hurricane Center. The question: will it turn into something notable for the final 30 days of the Atlantic Hurricane Season?

https://bocanewsnow.com/2025/11/01/hurricane-center-all-clear-but-theres-something-notable-east-of-florida/#google_vignette

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Shaggy recounts his relief mission to Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa and shares how you can help

As Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 storm pointing right at Jamaica, Shaggy knew he had to help, he just wasn’t sure how. So he asked ChatGPT. “I don’t know anything about relief and how to prepare for a storm,” the Grammy-winning reggae musician said. “I went to ChatGPT and looked at what we would need in a storm and we just bought that. Luckily, that’s exactly what they needed.” Read more.

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? U.S. dodges hurricanes

Data: NOAA. Chart: Alex Fitzpatrick/Axios The 2025 hurricane season is about to end on Nov. 30 without a single mainland U.S. landfall for the first time in a decade, Axios' Alex Fitzpatrick reports. Read the story.

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🌊 NOAA's Atlantic hurricane forecast calls for 8–14 named storms, 3–6 hurricanes and 1–3 major hurricanes. That's less than normal thanks to a possibly record-setting El Nino. Go deeper ...

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🌀 Sleepier storm season

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

This year's Atlantic hurricane season is expected to be below average in storm activity for the first time in more than a decade, according to NOAA meteorologists' annual forecast, Axios Tampa Bay's Kathryn Varn writes. Why it matters: Residents should still take the season seriously and prepare. "It's very important to understand that it only takes one," NOAA administrator Neil Jacobs told reporters. The big picture: This year will likely see eight to 14 named storms and three to six hurricanes, one to three of which will be Category 3 or higher, Jacobs told reporters. How it works: The main driver behind the forecast is a high likelihood of El Niño conditions, Jacobs said. El Niño occurs when water temperatures in the Pacific Ocean become warmer than usual. Those conditions can lead to high-altitude winds over the Atlantic that make it harder for hurricanes to form.

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What is a hurricane?

Among the most devastating weather phenomena on the planet, hurricanes are examples of tropical cyclones—rotating, low-pressure storm systems with winds exceeding 74 mph (119 kph). They form between the Caribbean Sea and West Africa, as well as the warm waters west of Mexico and Central America.

 

All tropical cyclones consist of a central eye with no extreme weather, a violent eyewall of intense winds funneling warm, moist air upward, and spiraling rainbands composed of clouds and thunderstorms (see breakdown). The water in the air releases energy when it condenses, which is used to accelerate wind speeds and provide a continuous supply of storm clouds until landfall. Able to grow to over 1,000 miles (1,600 kilometers) in diameter, tropical cyclones can unleash multiple feet of rain and storm surges. In a single day, they can release 200 times the amount of electrical energy generated on Earth in the same span.

 

Hurricanes are categorized by maximum sustained winds on the Saffir-Simpson scale and have caused over $1.5T in damage from 1980 to 2024.

 

... Read what else we learned about hurricanes here.

 

Also, check out ... 

> The daring method researchers use to track and monitor hurricanes. (Watch)

> A list of the worst hurricanes in US history through 2024. (View)

> How the Earth's curve and rotation cause hurricanes to spin. (Watch)

> Is the way hurricanes are categorized outdated? (Read)

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🌊 First named storm of '26

Image: NOAA Tropical Storm Arthur is expected to form in the Gulf early tomorrow, Axios New Orleans' Carlie Kollath Wells reports. Arthur — the first named storm of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season — will make landfall tomorrow night, near the Texas-Louisiana border. 🌊 The storm is forecast to dump 4–8 inches of rain in parts of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. Some spots could get up to 12 inches through Thursday, leading to potentially life-threatening flash flooding. Go deeper ... Latest forecast. Tropical threat States along the US Gulf Coast can expect significant amounts of rain and potentially dangerous flooding. Parts of Texas and Louisiana are under a tropical storm watch, and the system would be named Arthur if it develops.