Cat 5 Hurricane Melissa intensifies to 175 mph, could make landfall in Jamaica today 

Jamaica is now bracing for one of the most powerful hurricanes in 2025, Hurricane Melissa, which has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 175 mph and stronger gusts, making it the strongest storm on earth this year.

Hurricane Melissa is reportedly moving north-westward and is expected to make landfall along Jamaica’s southern coast in the early hours of Tuesday, October 28. According to forecasters, the storm is expected to have catastrophic impact on the island as the storm is both extremely powerful and slow-moving, meaning it could linger over the island far longer than usual.

Here's the latest track for Hurricane Melissa. pic.twitter.com/2jb88bGwIG

— Brittany Bell (@BrittanyBabc7) October 28, 2025

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned that Melissa is expected to bring up to 40 inches of rain, 13 feet of storm surge and 160 mph sustained winds which will cause extensive infrastructure damage that will cut off communities. The hurricane has reportedly already killed three people, one each in Haiti, Jamaica and Dominican Republic.

Hurricane #Melissa Advisory 28: Conditions Deteriorating On Jamaica as Extremely Dangerous Category 5 Melissa Slowly Approaches. Catastrophic Winds, Flash Flooding, and Storm Surge Expected On The Island Today. https://t.co/tW4KeGdBFb

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 28, 2025

Addressing the same, Prime Minister Andrew Holness at Monday’s press briefing from the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC), confirmed that Jamaica has already received multiple pledges of assistance from regional and international partners. Support has been offered by the United Nations, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, the European Union, the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA), and all CARICOM member states, each signalling readiness to provide aid in various forms.

Prime Minister Holness has cautioned citizens to stay inside safe and secure areas as hurricane Melissa is not bringing about saturation but high levels of destruction including possible landslides, powerful winds, torrential rain, and severe flooding even in places that it wouldn’t normally occur.

He concluded the safety press conference by assuring Jamaicans that the government is fully mobilized and prepared to respond to the storm’s aftermath, although, many worry that little Haiti would be wiped out after Hurricane Melissa makes landfall on Tuesday.

This footage from inside the eye of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa might be the most jaw-dropping video ever captured of a hurricane’s eye, showcasing the infamous “stadium effect." pic.twitter.com/AEhj2g2Ban

— Colin McCarthy (@US_Stormwatch) October 27, 2025

Notably, Melissa began as a tropical storm on October 21 and underwent extremely rapid intensification, strengthening to a rare Category 5. It is now expected to dump feet of rain across the northern Caribbean with Jamaica standing to face the worst of it, with 20 to 30 inches likely and isolated totals topping 40 inches in the eastern mountains. The kind of rain that means life-threatening flash floods and landslides.

Southern Haiti could see up to a foot of rain, and parts of eastern Cuba may get up to 25 inches, enough to trigger widespread flooding and mudslides as the island braces for what could be one of the most destructive hurricanes in its history.