Hurricane Melissa devastates Jamaica:
What We Know
Jamaica – Wednesday, October 29
Hurricane Melissa has left a path of devastation across Jamaica, after making landfall on Tuesday, October 28, as a Category 5 hurricane. With sustained winds reaching 185 miles per hour (297 km/h), it became one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean.
Satellite images reveal the eye of the storm
New satellite imagery from Sentinel-2 L2A shows the hurricane’s eye just off Jamaica’s southern coast, moments before landfall. The images highlight the storm’s perfect symmetry, a clear sign of extreme intensity, as Melissa roared across the island.
Article continues after image.
Massive destruction across the island
The impact has been catastrophic. Power lines were torn down, homes were flattened, and roads are now blocked by fallen trees and debris. Over one-third of Jamaica’s population is still without electricity, and communication networks remain down in several parishes. Entire neighborhoods in St. Elizabeth and Manchester have been submerged after torrential rain caused severe flooding.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness described the situation as “a national disaster unlike anything we’ve faced in decades.” Rescue operations are still underway, with emergency shelters housing thousands of displaced residents.
How Hurricane Melissa formed
Melissa started as a tropical disturbance off the coast of West Africa roughly two weeks ago. As it moved westward across the Atlantic, it entered the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea. The combination of unusually high sea-surface temperatures and weak wind shear created ideal conditions for rapid intensification. Within just a few days, Melissa evolved from a tropical storm into a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane.
What happens next
As of Wednesday morning, the storm is moving northwest toward eastern Cuba and the Bahamas. Although gradual weakening is expected, forecasters warn that Melissa remains extremely dangerous, bringing life-threatening rainfall, flash floods, and storm surges to the northern Caribbean.
Meteorologists will continue to monitor the storm’s track closely. For now, Jamaica begins the difficult process of recovery from what could become one of the most destructive hurricanes in its modern history.
