Melissa is the most powerful hurricane ever to hit Jamaica – DW – 10/27/2025

Melissa is projected to be the worst hurricane to hit Jamaica since record-keeping began in 1851.

The previous most powerful hurricane to hit the small Caribbean island was Gilbert in 1988.

Category 3 Hurricane Gilbert killed more than 40 people in Jamaica and hundreds more throughout the Caribbean region and Mexico.

• Hurricane Melissa has reached Category 5 – the highest hurricane scale, with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph).
• According to Jonathan Porter, chief meteorologist at AccuWeather, it is expected to be the most powerful hurricane in history to hit Jamaica.
• Hurricane warnings have been issued for Jamaica, as well as Cuba’s Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo and Holguín provinces.
• Melissa was not expected to affect the United States
• Three people have died in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 hurricane – the highest level a hurricane can reach – as it slowly moves towards Jamaica.

Forecasters said Melissa would cause devastating flooding, landslides and widespread damage.

It has already been linked to four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

We’ll bring you the latest developments on Hurricane Melissa here.