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Following Hurricane Melissa's aftermath
Fox35 News+ anchor Garrett Wymer spoke with Fox35 Storm Team Meteorologist Laurel Blanchard on the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa as it churns on into the Caribbean, just after impacting Jamaica.
ORLANDO, Fla. - The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has concluded that Hurricane Melissa was stronger than initially recorded, tying it for the most intense hurricane ever observed in the Atlantic basin by wind speed.
As one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin, Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale before landfall and caused an estimated $8 billion in damages.
In its final Tropical Cyclone Report (PDF) on the late October 2025 storm, the Miami-based NHC said Melissa’s maximum sustained winds were upgraded to 190 mph, up from the 185 mph estimated at the time of landfall in Jamaica.
The revised figure ties Melissa with Hurricane Allen (1980) for the highest sustained winds on record for an Atlantic hurricane.
How strong was Hurricane Melissa at landfall?
By the numbers:
Melissa first struck Jamaica on Oct. 28 as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 185 mph at landfall. That ties the storm with Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) as the strongest hurricanes on record at landfall in the Atlantic basin.
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The hurricane’s minimum central pressure was recorded at 892 millibars, ranking it among the most intense storms ever measured in the region.
The National Hurricane Center said Melissa was the strongest and costliest hurricane to hit Jamaica, causing an estimated $8 billion in damage and killing at least 45 people there.
How many people died from Hurricane Melissa?
Overall, 95 deaths were reported across at least five countries, according to the report. In addition to the fatalities in Jamaica, 43 deaths were reported in Haiti, four in the Dominican Republic, one in Cuba and two elsewhere in the Caribbean.
Aircraft from NOAA Hurricane Hunters investigated the storm as it approached land. During one mission, scientists deployed a dropsonde — a cylindrical instrument designed to measure pressure, temperature, humidity and wind — into the hurricane.
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Data from the instrument recorded a wind gust of 252 mph inside the storm, surpassing the previous 240 mph gust record set during Typhoon Megi in 2010.
An aerial view shows damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa, in Westmoreland, Jamaica, on October 31, 2025. At least 19 people in Jamaica have died as a result of Hurricane Melissa which devastated the island nation when it roared as …
Melissa’s destruction extended beyond Jamaica, with severe impacts reported in Haiti, Cuba, the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean nations.
Read the full report on Hurricane Melissa
Hurricane Melissa, one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin. The storm unleashed catastrophic winds and storm surge across parts of western Jamaica. Its slow movement also produced torrential rainfall and severe flooding in portions of the Greater Antilles.
You can read the NHC's full Tropical Cylone Report on Hurricane Melissa below:
The Source: This story was written based on information shared by the National Hurricane Center, the FOX 35 Storm Team, and FOX Weather.