Jamaica Braces for Hurricane Melissa, the World’s Strongest Storm of 2025
Jamaica is on high alert as Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm of 2025 so far — and potentially the strongest ever recorded in the island’s history — approaches its shores. The Category 5 hurricane has already claimed three lives in Jamaica and four more in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, as authorities warn of catastrophic damage ahead.
According to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa is packing sustained winds of 175 mph (282 km/h), placing it at the very top of the hurricane intensity scale. The storm, currently about 140 miles (240 km) southwest of Kingston, is moving slowly north-northeast at just 2 mph (4 km/h), raising fears of prolonged heavy rainfall, flooding, and deadly landslides.
The NHC’s late-night advisory on Monday described the storm’s potential impact as “catastrophic and life-threatening,” warning that the inner eyewall — where the most extreme winds occur — could cause “total structural failure” in affected areas. Tropical storm conditions have already begun sweeping across Jamaica, with full hurricane-force winds expected to hit early Tuesday morning.
Experts say Melissa’s slow movement could intensify the disaster, as the island faces extended exposure to torrential rain and violent gusts. The storm’s low central pressure and record-high wind speeds make it not only the strongest storm of 2025, but also the most powerful hurricane to ever threaten Jamaica since official record-keeping began in 1851, according to reports from CBS, the BBC’s US news partner.