A picture of Hurricane Melissa shortly before making landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, on Oct. 28, 2025. Photo courtesy of NASA via Wikimedia Commons.
Its rapid intensification into a Category 5 storm is due to climate change, experts say.
By Hayden Randolph and Jaide Edwards
TAMPA, Fla. — Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, on Tuesday with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm then made a second landfall in eastern Cuba as a dangerous Category 4 hurricane.
Melissa was the second-strongest storm in Atlantic history. Its sustained winds were only 5 mph less than Hurricane Allen in 1980. A United Nations agency called it the ‘storm of the century,’ the New York Times reported on Tuesday.
There have been seven Category 5 Atlantic hurricanes this decade. In the 2010s, there were six.
Bar graph showing Category 5 hurricanes by decade since 1950.
“Our ocean temperatures are warmer than they had been in the past,” said Corene Matyas of the University of Florida geography department. “There is more energy available.”
Melissa endured rapid intensification, increasing wind speeds by 70 mph in under 24 hours, according to Climate Central. The National Hurricane Center defines rapid intensification as “an increase in the maximum sustained winds of a tropical cyclone of at least 30 kt in a 24-h period.”
“There’s a precise definition that has to do with the drop in pressure or the increase in winds,” Matyas said. “It is meant to signify that the intensification process is happening much more quickly than in your average storm.”
Nicholas Grondin of the University of Tampa’s environmental studies department said that this phenomenon is becoming more common.
“We are noticing it’s happening more,” Grondin said. “One of the things we’ve also noticed has been happening more on approach to landfall.”
While scientists attribute Melissa’s rapid intensification to record-warm ocean waters, its impact on Jamaica was just as severe on the ground. Numerous homes, schools, and public facilities are damaged. Major areas in Jamaica include Kingston, St. Elizabeth, Westmoreland, and more.
BBC News mentioned that Jamaican officials have confirmed the country’s first fatalities from the hurricane. Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development, reported that four people — three men and one woman — died in St. Elizabeth Parish after being swept away by floodwaters.
In his statement, McKenzie said he was saddened to confirm the deaths, which were verified by police. The victims were discovered after being washed up by flooding caused by the hurricane.
Earlier, Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the town of Black River in St. Elizabeth was “totally destroyed” by the storm.
A map showing Hurricane Melissa’s path through the Caribbean. Photo courtesy of NOAA.
“That track is not a common track. You need a lot of things to go right for a northeast system from Jamaica to Cuba to the Bahamas,” said Grondin.
Imahni Linton, a senior at the University of Tampa, is organizing a donation drive to aid relief efforts in her home country, Jamaica. She is collecting toiletries, including bath soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste, and other essentials in the International Programs Office from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Nov. 3–7. Linton said the collection period may be extended if she is unable to return by the end of the week.
“It’s just a way of me being able to give back,” Linton said. “It’s our home, it’s our families, it’s our communities, it’s everything.”
As relief work continues on the island, Jamaican officials are also working to restore stability. According to the Jamaica Information Service, Minister of Tourism Edmund Bartlett has activated a Hurricane Melissa Recovery Task Force and a Tourism Resilience Coordination Committee to help the country’s tourism industry recover. The goal is for Jamaica’s tourism sector to be fully operational by December 15, 2025.
“Recovery cannot be left to chance,” said Minister Bartlett. “We are aligning marketing, communications, infrastructure repairs, aid, logistics, and every enabling support behind a single objective — full industry operation by December 15.”
While Jamaica and other Caribbean islands recover from Hurricane Melissa, you can make a difference by donating to the University of Tampa.
Linton said she wants the people in Jamaica to know that they are not alone.
“We are coming together as a community to stand with you guys in this time of unimaginable loss,” Linton said.