Hurricane Melissa: Jamaica Faces Its Most Powerful Storm in Nearly 200 Years
Hurricane
Melissa is poised to make history as it barrels toward Jamaica, threatening to
become the most powerful storm to strike the island since official records
began 174 years ago.
As of early Tuesday, October 28, 2025, the storm had intensified into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds reaching 175 mph (280 kph). The U.S. National Hurricane Center reported that Melissa was located approximately 150 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, moving slowly north-northeast at just 2 mph.