Melissa strikes Jamaica, tied as most powerful Atlantic storm to come ashore

Ars TechnicaCenterEN 2 min read 100% complete by Eric Berger October 28, 2025 at 07:00 PM

AI Summary

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Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwestern Jamaica near New Hope at 1 pm ET with sustained winds of 185 mph on Tuesday. The National Hurricane Center described it as extremely dangerous and life-threatening, bringing heavy rainfall, damaging storm surge, and destructive winds to the island home to about 3 million people. By maintaining its intensity, Melissa tied the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 as the most powerful hurricane to strike land in the Atlantic Basin by wind speed and central pressure at 892 millibars. The storm's strong turbulence forced a Lockheed WC-130 aircraft to abort its mission into the eye. As it moves north, Melissa will affect Cuba next.

Key Topics & Entities

Larry Kelly 50% National Hurricane Center 60% Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 ×260% Jamaica ×490% Melissa ×7100%

Keywords

hurricane melissa 100% powerful storm 90% landfall jamaica 85% destructive winds 75% heavy rainfall 70% catastrophic effects 65% record-breaking hurricane 60% landfall intensity 55% hurricane hunter aircraft 45% central pressure 40%