Hurricane Melissa barrels toward Jamaica with 175 mph winds; 40 inches of rain possible l LIVE
JAMAICA - Hurricane Melissa intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm on Monday and remained on track to slam Jamaica with a destructive storm surge, damaging winds and life-threatening flash flooding.
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HURRICANE MELISSA UPDATES: LOCATION l TIMELINE l IMPACTS
Newsroom Live: Hurricane Melissa timeline, impacts
FOX 5 NY Meteorologist Audrey Puente joins Stephanie Bertini on Newsroom Live to discuss the latest with Hurricane Melissa.
Where is Hurricane Melissa right now?
What we know:
As of the latest information provided by the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Hurricane Melissa now has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph with some higher gusts.
This graphic shows information on Hurricane Melissa. (FOX Weather)
Hurricane Melissa radar
Some fluctuations in strength are likely as the storm slams Jamaica with a deadly storm surge, life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides, and destructive winds.
This satellite image shows Hurricane Melissa south of Jamaica on Sunday, Oct. 26, 2025. (NOAA)
When will Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica?
Timeline:
Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island Tuesday and across Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday. The storm was centered about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 315 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Hurricane Melissa path map
"Wind speeds atop and on the windward side of hills and mountains could be up to 30 percent stronger than the near-surface winds indicated in this advisory, and in some elevated locations could be even greater," the NHC warned.
This graphic shows the forecast track for Hurricane Melissa. (FOX Weather)
Some local areas of eastern Jamaica could get 40 inches of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches, according to hurricane center. "Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely," it warned.
The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.
Big picture view:
The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.
Alerts in the Caribbean have also expanded with the latest advisory from the NHC. While the entire island of Jamaica remains under a Hurricane Warning, those alerts expanded to the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanmo and Holguin.
A Hurricane Watch has now also been issued for the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands. A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for Haiti and the Cuban province of Las Tunas.
Track of Hurricane Melissa, expected impacts
Forecasts are warning of catastrophic flooding as the storm batters Jamaica with heavy rain for days. The NHC predicts widespread rainfall totals of 15-30 inches across portions of Jamaica and additional rainfall of 8-16 inches for southern Hispaniola through Wednesday, with storm totals of up to 40 inches possible. And of course, there's the potential for destructive winds.
Hurricane Melissa rainfall forecast for Jamaica. (FOX Weather)
The NHC said tropical storm conditions are now occurring in Jamaica, and destructive hurricane conditions are expected to begin Monday night or early Tuesday.
"Wind speeds atop and on the windward side of hills and mountains could be up to 30 percent stronger than the near-surface winds indicated in this advisory, and in some elevated locations could be even greater," the NHC warned.
This graphic shows the forecast wind radii and storm surge from Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica. (FOX Weather)
Cuba may see 10-15 inches of rain, with some spots reaching 20 inches as Melissa takes aim there soon.
In addition, Melissa's massive wind field and slow crawl toward Jamaica will trigger a powerful storm surge along the southern coast of Jamaica from late Monday through Tuesday morning, with peak storm surge heights reaching 9-13 feet above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Hurricane Melissa makes landfall.
Dig deeper:
Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica's meteorological service. He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.
In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica's southern coast, peaking around 13 feet above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall, the U.S. center said.
Will Hurricane Melissa hit the US?
Local perspective:
"It does head by offshore, so therefore, the only impacts we would have here would be that surf," FOX 5 NY's Mike Woods said.
Hurricane categories
The backstory:
The 2025 Atlantic hurricane season now stands as the season with the second-most Category 5 hurricanes to form, with three. This season now sits behind the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season, which had four.
Prior to this season, the 2005 season was the only season on record to produce more than two Category 5 storms. And with a pressure of 914 mb, Hurricane Melissa now has the lowest pressure of the three previous Category 5 hurricanes this season.
Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph.