Hurricane Melissa Leaves Trail of Destruction in Jamaica and Beyond
Communication systems are down, and the full extent of the catastrophe in Jamaica is still unknown, but the available information paints a grim picture. The western half of the island was devastated, with Montego Bay, the heart of the country’s tourism economy, severely affected. Crops were destroyed, cities and towns were inundated, and it will likely take years for the island to recover.
The storm’s 185-mph winds, torrential rains, and storm surge ripped off roofs and flooded cities and towns in both fresh and salt water. The winds also blasted trees and crops well inland, causing defoliation and covering them with salt. Vast swaths of the normally verdant country will be brown for some time to come.
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Recovery Efforts and Damage Assessment
Recovery will be slow and agonizing, and Jamaica will need help. The Kingston airport was damaged but will soon be able to receive aid flights. If there is any good news in this horrendous event, it’s that Kingston will recover relatively quickly, allowing it to act as a base of operations for the recovery effort for much of the rest of the country.
Melissa hit eastern Cuba hard, with the depth of the damage not yet clear. In Santiago de Cuba and Holguín, the situation is very difficult. Haiti has been on the periphery of Melissa, but an outer band has continually pumped tropical moisture across that country, along with gusty winds, resulting in mudslides and flooding that have been deadly.
This graphic provides a look at the wind history within Hurricane Melissa.
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Current Situation and Forecast
It will take a few more days for the flooding to completely subside in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. Hurricane Melissa tracked across part of the central and southeastern Bahamas, with flooding and damage likely. The Bahamians are generally hurricane-ready, so hopefully, everyone was in a safe place.
Melissa has strengthened a bit, and the eye has grown to about 70 miles across, which means that strong winds extend farther from the center. This evening, Melissa will pass near Bermuda, and the island needs to be ready for hurricane conditions beginning later today. The storm is accelerating, so the impacts should not last terribly long.
This satellite image shows Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 30, 2025.
(FOX Weather)
This graphic shows the latest information about Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 30, 2025.
(FOX Weather)
This is the fourth time this year that Bermuda has had to prepare for a possible hurricane hit. The island is well-fortified, but it’s getting pretty ridiculous. The long-range forecasts show a weather pattern over the Gulf, Florida, and the Southeast that should be hostile to tropical systems. The pattern over the Caribbean still looks reasonably hospitable, however. There are no signs of development, but we’ll watch, just in case. For the latest updates and analysis, visit Here
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