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9h ago

Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica as Record Category 5, Knocking Out Power to Over 500,000

The storm is expected to remain a major hurricane on a path toward eastern Cuba, then the Bahamas.

IN SPACE, CARIBBEAN SEA - OCTOBER 28: (EDITOR'S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images' editorial policy.) In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Melissa churns through the Caribbean Sea, captured at 15:20Z on October 28, 2025. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, bringing torrential winds and rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
A man walks along the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches (Photo: Matias Delacroix/AP)
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Overview

  • Melissa made landfall near New Hope in Jamaica’s St. Elizabeth Parish early Tuesday afternoon with estimated sustained winds of about 185 mph, the strongest direct hit on record for the island.
  • More than 530,000 customers lost electricity by Tuesday evening and roughly 15,000 people were in shelters, with officials warning of slow damage assessments due to blocked roads and outages.
  • The National Hurricane Center warned of 9 to 13 feet of storm surge on Jamaica’s south coast and 15 to 40 inches of rain capable of catastrophic flooding, landslides and possible total structural failure near the core.
  • At least seven deaths across the Caribbean have been linked to the storm, including three in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic, according to officials.
  • Cuba has ordered mass evacuations exceeding 600,000 in eastern provinces as Melissa tracks toward Santiago de Cuba, with hurricane warnings also posted for parts of the Bahamas.