On October 28, 2025, Hurricane “Melissa” began striking Jamaica with fierce winds and heavy rain. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center, the storm has intensified to a Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds reaching 165 miles per hour (approximately 265 kilometers per hour), making it the largest storm to hit the Caribbean islands in recorded history.
Cuba, the eastern Bahamas, and the Turks and Caicos Islands are also on the expected path of the storm, which is projected to move in a north-northeast direction towards Bermuda later this week.
It is anticipated that the hurricane will stay away from the U.S. coastline, only bringing rough seas and minor coastal flooding to the East Coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center, based in Miami, reported that as of Monday afternoon at 4:00 PM GMT, “Melissa” was located about 145 miles (230 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and approximately 330 miles (530 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba.
The National Hurricane Center stated that “Melissa” is moving west at a slow speed of 3 miles per hour (5 kilometers per hour) but is expected to turn northeastward later on Monday night, passing over Jamaica and continuing into Tuesday.
Forecasters at the National Hurricane Center have warned that the storm, moving slowly over the unusually warm Caribbean Sea, has been expanding in size and strength, bringing unprecedented catastrophic winds and up to 3 feet (about 0.9 meters) of rainfall to Jamaica.
The center cautioned, “This will result in widespread infrastructure damage, prolonged power and communication outages, as well as communities being isolated from the outside world.”
Haiti and the Dominican Republic, neighboring countries in the region, have been hit by continuous heavy rains in recent days, resulting in at least four fatalities.
Evan Thompson, Director of the Jamaican Meteorological Service, stated that Jamaica has experienced many major hurricanes in the past, including the Category 4 Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, but a direct hit by a Category 5 hurricane is unprecedented.
Additionally, preparations have been made in most parts of eastern Cuba for the potential landfall of “Melissa” on Tuesday night.
It is expected that the hurricane will not directly impact the Cuban capital, Havana.
(This article is based on reports from Reuters)