According to NBC News, Jamaica citizens evacuated as Hurricane Melissa reached category 5 with winds of 185mph, leaving people terrified for their lives and their homes.
Hurricane Melissa originated as a tropical wave that formed off the coast of West Africa. After moving across the Atlantic Ocean, it later developed as a tropical storm over the Caribbean Sea before strengthening into a major hurricane, NBC News reported.
Hurricane Melissa made its first landfall on October 28th, 2025, around New Hope, Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane. It was the strongest hurricane ever recorded to hit the tropical island, leaving extreme damage, widespread flooding, and power outages, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Melissa then moved to southeastern Cuba on October 29th, 2025, as a Category 3 hurricane with winds around 120mph, still leaving significant flooding and damage. Around 735,000 people spent the night in shelters after their homes were destroyed, according to NBC News.
After leaving Cuba, Melissa weakened to a Category 2 hurricane with winds down to 100mph and later moved through the Bahamas, leaving a large amount of flooding and storm surges according to the National Hurricane Center. This caused some islands to call evacuation.
After hitting these tropical islands, Hurricane Melissa has killed at least 7 people in Jamaica and 27 more across the Caribbean this week, NBC News stated.
As of this morning, on October 30th, 2025, Melissa was accelerating northeast towards Bermuda, which is currently under a hurricane warning, according to the National Hurricane Center. After Bermuda, Melissa is expected to weaken while traveling through the Atlantic.
According to NBC News, Hurricane Melissa was one of the strongest storms on record to make landfall in the Atlantic Basin. Jamaica and Cuba have started providing aid to affected communities and are planning to start rebuilding as soon as possible.