Hurricane Melissa has made history as a catastrophic Category 5 storm that devastated Jamaica in late October 2025, now being tied as the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. The National Hurricane Center (NHC) released its Tropical Cyclone Report detailing the extensive destruction caused by the hurricane, which claimed at least 45 lives and left millions in damages across the Caribbean region.
Melissa’s maximum sustained winds reached an unprecedented 185 mph at landfall in Jamaica, a record that has now tied it with Hurricane Dorian from 2018 and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane, both of which are also classified as the strongest hurricanes in Atlantic history. Following its landfall, Melissa’s winds were re-evaluated and classified at 190 mph, sharing the top spot with Hurricane Allen, which struck in 1980.
The hurricane first made landfall on October 28, bringing with it fierce winds and heavy destruction. Among those reporting live from the scene was FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray, who witnessed the devastation firsthand. While covering the storm, windows shattered in his rented home before the eye of the hurricane struck, as glass and debris littered the floors within. Ray, who has reported on numerous natural disasters, stated, “I have never seen a disaster like this in my life. One community after the next is in total ruin.”
In addition to the destruction in Jamaica, NOAA’s Hurricane Hunters were deployed to examine the storm. A dropsonde, a weather instrument used to gather data on tropical systems, recorded a staggering gust of 252 mph within the storm, breaking the previous record of 240 mph set by Typhoon Megi in 2010.
The impact of Hurricane Melissa extended beyond Jamaica, with the NHC reporting at least 95 fatalities across Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and other Caribbean nations. As recovery efforts continue, communities are banding together to rebuild and support each other in the face of this unprecedented natural disaster, highlighting the resilience of those affected.