Storm of the century makes landfall in Jamaica: Hurricane Melissa to bring catastrophic rains, 185 mph winds
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Storm of the century makes landfall in Jamaica: Hurricane Melissa to bring catastrophic rains, 185 mph winds")
Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on October 27, 2025 as Hurricane Melissa approaches Jamaica. Photograph: (AFP)
Melissa is the world’s strongest storm of 2025 and is expected to bring heavy rains to the island nation. The hurricane’s eyewall has already started to move into Jamaica, bringing strong winds and high waves along the coast.
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in south-western Jamaica, near New Hope, the National Hurricane Center said. The Category 5 storm is threatening catastrophic floods with torrential rains and ferocious winds. Earlier in the day, the National Hurricane Center on Tuesday (Oct 28) warned Jamaicans that this is the “last chance” to protect their lives as Hurricane Melissa nears the island nation with “catastrophic winds”. It also cautioned that the storm is continuing to strengthen.
The storm has been dubbed the storm of the century and is expected to bring maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kmh). The hurricane has already started to wreak havoc in the Caribbean, claiming three lives in Jamaica ahead of its landfall. It is expected to then move across eastern Cuba and the Bahamas.
“Last chance to protect your life. This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation! Take cover now!” the NHC warned in a recent update.
“To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees, is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection,” it advised.
Melissa is the world’s strongest storm of 2025 and is expected to bring heavy rains to the island nation. The hurricane’s eyewall, which has the strongest winds in the storm, has already started to move into Jamaica, bringing strong winds and high waves along the coast. It is expected to then move across eastern Cuba and the Bahamas.
Hurricane Melissa is expected to lash Jamaica with heavy rainfall of as much as 75 centimetres (around 30 feet) in the central parts over the next two days, according to the latest forecast.
The storm is the second-strongest one in terms of wind speed in the history of the Atlantic, trailing behind Hurricane Allen from 1980, which had a wind speed of 190 mph.
