Hurricane Melissa strengthens to Category 5 ahead of landfall in Jamaica
Major-hurricane-force winds, devastating storm surge reaching 10-15 feet, and 30-40" of rain will batter the island nation over the next 48 hours.
KINGSTON, JAMAICA — Jamaica is hunkering down for what will be the worst storm in the island nation’s history.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 – the highest designation on the Saffir-Simpson scale – early Monday morning and is packing 160 mph core winds as of the latest 8 am update. Melissa will make landfall in Jamaica early Tuesday morning, battering the country with major-hurricane-force winds, devastating 10-15-foot storm surge, and 30-40″ of rain.
10/27 5am EDT: #Melissa has strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds and a 917 mb central pressure, confirmed by the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters. Conditions in #Jamaica will rapidly deteriorate later today and tonight. Here are the key messages:
See… pic.twitter.com/pMRRQdyOqU
— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 27, 2025
Melissa will weaken after interacting with Jamaica’s mountainous terrain as it sweeps northeastward before making a second landfall in eastern Cuba. Melissa will then continue its journey northeast and could score another direct hit on Bermuda, although it will be a much weaker system by this point.
While Melissa will not impact the mainland U.S. directly, rough surf and rip currents will cause problems for beachgoers as we close out October. Outer Banks communities like Rodanthe and Buxton may see more homes fall into the Atlantic as high tides surge farther inland than normal by the end of the week.
