https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-landfall-tue...





Amanda Jackson Rhea Mogul
By CNN meteorologists Briana Waxman, Chris Dolce, Mary Gilbert and CNN's Amanda Jackson, Hanna Park and Rhea Mogul
Updated 7:27 AM EDT, Tue October 28, 2025


What we're covering
• Strongest storm this year: Melissa underwent extreme rapid intensification, strengthening to a rare Category 5 with winds of 175 mph and stronger gusts, making it the strongest storm on the planet this year.

• Conditions worsening: The storms outer bands are lashing Jamaica with tropical-storm force winds. Hurricane conditions will arrive later this morning before landfall by early afternoon.

• Jamaica’s worst storm: The island nation hasn’t taken a direct hit from a hurricane in over a decade and never from a Category 5. Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for Jamaica’s vulnerable coastal areas.

• Already deadly: Melissa has already killed three people in Jamaica and Haiti each and one person in the Dominican Republic. The storm threatens to devastate Jamaica’s infrastructure and cut off communities in Jamaica.

https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/climate-energy/wmo-says-hurricane-melissa...


Summary

WMO warns of catastrophic conditions in Jamaica
Storm surges of up to four meters expected

Red Cross: 1.5 million in Jamaica to be directly affected
Across Caribbean, hundreds of thousands evacuate

Four deaths reported in Haiti, Dominican Republic

GENEVA, Oct 28 (Reuters) - Hurricane Melissa was expected to bring catastrophe as it makes landfall in Jamaica with storm surges, flash floods and landslides in the worst storm to hit the Caribbean island this century, a U.N. weather official said on Tuesday.
The Category 5 storm, the strongest possible on the Saffir-Simpson scale, will bring wind gusts of over 300 km per hour (186 miles per hour) and widespread devastation to the island, where authorities have ordered mandatory evacuations.

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/cvgvexdjp1xt


Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in south-western Jamaica as the strongest storm to ever hit the Caribbean nation in modern history

The storm has weakened to a category four with wind speeds of 145mph (230km/h), after earlier lashing the coastline with winds of more than 185mph

Up to 30 inches (76cm) of rain is expected in some parts of Jamaica, with areas already experiencing flash flooding

The storm is expected to remain severe as it crosses Jamaica and makes its way towards Cuba

A Jamaican man tells BBC News "the winds are so strong you would not be able to stand up", while a woman says "water is coming through my roof - I am not OK"

My friends said they'll be ok.

https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-landfall-tue...


Here's what's happening now

• Moving on: Melissa is now centered off the northern coast of Jamaica after barreling ashore as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. It is now a dangerous Category 4 hurricane as it heads toward Cuba. For additional coverage, watch CNN.

• Impact: We’re already seeing reports of extensive damage to homes, hospitals and schools in southwestern Jamaica. Earlier, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told CNN the storm will cause “catastrophic damage.”

• Already deadly: Melissa is responsible for seven deaths — three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

https://edition.cnn.com/weather/live-news/hurricane-melissa-jamaica-landfall-tue...

Here's what's happening now

• Moving north: Melissa has restrengthened into a Category 4 hurricane as it churns toward Cuba after making a historic landfall in Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. For additional coverage, watch CNN.

• Impact: We’re already seeing reports of extensive damage to homes, hospitals and schools in southwestern Jamaica. Earlier, Prime Minister Andrew Holness told CNN the storm will cause “catastrophic damage.”

• Already deadly: Melissa is responsible for seven deaths — three in Jamaica during storm preparations, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.