Hurricane Melissa struck Cuba less than a day after becoming the strongest recorded storm to hit Jamaica, where it left hundreds of thousands without power and forced hospital evacuations, UNN reports, citing Bloomberg.
Details
The U.S. National Hurricane Center said Melissa made landfall on eastern Cuba as an "extremely dangerous" storm in a statement issued around 3:10 a.m. ET (9:10 a.m. Kyiv time) on Wednesday. Up to 63 centimeters of rain and storm surges of up to 3.7 meters above normal are expected.
According to media reports, Cuban authorities evacuated about 735,000 people ahead of the storm's approach on Wednesday morning. President Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez urged citizens to "be vigilant, show discipline and not forget it in the face of this threat," the state newspaper Granma reported. More than 3,600 people also found temporary shelter in Haiti.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that the storm was a Category 3 on the five-point Saffir-Simpson scale with winds of about 195 kilometers per hour. It is forecast to maintain its strength on Wednesday as it passes over Cuba and heads toward the Bahamas.
On Tuesday afternoon, Hurricane Melissa struck Jamaica with sustained winds of about 298 kilometers per hour, making it a rare Category 5 hurricane at landfall and potentially the most destructive of the 2025 season. According to the NHC, it made landfall near New Hope on Jamaica's south coast, about 40 kilometers south of Montego Bay.
According to Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie, who is responsible for emergency response, the situation in Jamaica remains too chaotic to provide a full official assessment. He stated that the damage is extensive.
"This is one of the worst trials we have ever faced," McKenzie said in a televised statement on Tuesday. More than 500,000 citizens were without power, 15,000 people were in shelters, and three hospitals were severely damaged, he added.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who was in Asia, told reporters that the U.S. was monitoring the damage and "ready to send" humanitarian aid to Jamaica. "It's doing tremendous damage right now," Trump said, adding that the storm was "wiping out everything in its path."
At an altitude of about 750 meters above sea level, Hurricane Melissa's winds reached 345 km/h, according to measurements collected by hurricane hunter aircraft before landfall in Jamaica. In addition to the wind, the storm brought heavy rains that threaten the island's residents and approximately 25,000 tourists.
Hurricane hunters flew into the eye of Hurricane Melissa: video28.10.25, 08:30 • [views_2957]
Cotality, a real estate analytics company, estimates that the hurricane is expected to cause between $5 billion and $10 billion in property damage in Jamaica.
Local media reported that Melissa struck the parish of St. Elizabeth, located on the island's southwestern coast. Images published by the Jamaica Observer showed roofs being torn off houses and streets flooded with raging water. In the capital, Kingston, sporadic flooding and gusts of wind tearing down billboards were reported.
Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management reported that roads in at least four parishes were blocked by trees and boulders, and several bridges were flooded.
According to the agency, UN humanitarian organizations are preparing to deliver food and other essential supplies after the weather calms down and Jamaica's airports reopen. In addition, Haiti already has supplies needed to assist 86,000 people.
The storm is forecast to move to the Bahamas on Wednesday, with strong winds and rain intensifying in Bermuda by the end of the week.
Addition
This is reportedly the strongest storm to make landfall in the Atlantic since Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas in 2019.
Although data is mixed in places, there are no records of such a strong storm ever hitting Jamaica since 1851, said Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University. Before Melissa, the most powerful storm to hit the island was Gilbert in 1988, a Category 4.