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4h ago

NHC Reanalysis Ties Hurricane Melissa With Allen as Strongest on Record in the Atlantic

The final report revises Melissa’s true intensity using detailed aircraft and dropsonde measurements.

IN SPACE, CARIBBEAN SEA - OCTOBER 27: (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 northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured at 17:00Z on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)
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Overview

  • The National Hurricane Center’s post‑season report upgrades Melissa’s peak sustained winds to 190 mph, tying 1980’s Hurricane Allen for the Atlantic wind‑speed record.
  • A NOAA Hurricane Hunter dropsonde measured a 252 mph gust inside Melissa, the highest wind ever recorded by a dropsonde and stronger than the 2010 Typhoon Megi record.
  • Melissa’s minimum central pressure reached 892 millibars, placing it among the most intense Atlantic hurricanes by pressure in the historical record.
  • The storm struck western Jamaica on Oct. 28 with estimated 185 mph sustained winds, the country’s strongest landfall on record and tied for the top Atlantic landfalling wind speed with Dorian (2019) and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane.
  • The NHC consolidates the storm’s toll at roughly $8–8.8 billion in damage in Jamaica and about 95 deaths across the Caribbean, including 45 in Jamaica and 43 in Haiti.