Hurricane Melissa: Formation, Impacts, and Responses
Blog > 2025 > Geography in the News > Hurricane Melissa: Formation, Impacts, and Responses
Hurricane Melissa: Formation and Path
A hurricane is a large rotating weather system that develops above warm tropical seas. These storms produce powerful winds, intense rainfall, and can drive seawater onto the land in the form of storm surges that flood coastal areas. Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir–Simpson scale, which ranges from Category 1 to Category 5. A Category 5 storm has sustained wind speeds above 157 mph (252 km/h) and is capable of causing extreme destruction.
Hurricane Melissa formed over the warm waters of the central Caribbean in late October 2025. The ocean surface was unusually warm, providing the heat and moisture necessary for the storm to develop rapidly. Melissa intensified rapidly into a Category 5 hurricane, with maximum sustained winds approaching 185 mph (295 km/h).
On 28 October 2025, Melissa made landfall in south-west Jamaica, near the town of Black River. After crossing Jamaica, the storm moved north-east, bringing severe rainfall to southern Haiti. It then reached eastern Cuba before affecting parts of the Bahamas and passing close to Bermuda. Melissa later weakened over cooler waters and became a post-tropical system on 31 October.
Storm chasers fly inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa (source BBC):
Causes of Hurricane Melissa
Hurricanes form over warm tropical oceans. When sea temperatures reach 27°C or higher, warm water evaporates, heating the air above. This warm, moist air rises and cools, forming rainclouds. As water vapour condenses into droplets, heat is released, giving the storm extra energy. The waters in the western Caribbean were close to 30 °C, around two to three degrees Celsius above average for the time of year. This provided a significant amount of energy for Hurricane Melissa to strengthen rapidly, helping it reach Category 5 intensity as it approached Jamaica.
Low wind shear (meaning wind speeds do not change much with height) helped Melissa strengthen quickly. Climate scientists also noted that Caribbean Sea temperatures in late October 2025 were higher than usual, a trend linked to ongoing climate change, which likely contributed to Melissa’s development into a powerful storm.
Jamaica’s Information Minister, Dana Morris Dixon, told the BBC that the government had taken all possible steps to prepare for a storm of unusual strength and urged the public to take the warnings seriously. She noted that Jamaica had not experienced a direct hit from a hurricane for nearly four decades.
Primary Effects of Hurricane Melissa
The worst impacts were reported in Jamaica and Haiti.
Jamaica:
- Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane.
- Strong winds damaged homes, schools and hospitals in St Elizabeth and Manchester along with libraries, police stations and other structures
- 80-90% of roofs were destroyed
- 19 deaths have been confirmed.
- Power lines were destroyed, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. 77 % of Jamaica was without power.
- Roads near Black River and Treasure Beach were flooded after the river flooded.
This video by the BBC illustrates the impact of the hurricane on Jamaica.
Haiti:
- Although the hurricane did not make landfall, intense rainfall caused rivers to burst their banks.
- Flash flooding and landslides affected towns such as Petit-Goâve.
- At least 31 people died, around 20 were injured, and around 20 remained missing.
Cuba:
- Eastern Cuba experienced strong winds and storm surges.
- More than 735,000 people were safely evacuated before the storm.
- Damage occurred to homes, crops and road networks, but no deaths were reported.
Bahamas and Bermuda:
- No confirmed deaths.
- Coastal flooding, power outages, and travel disruptions occurred on several islands.
Did you know?
Hurricane Melissa was the most powerful storm ever recorded to make landfall in Jamaica. At landfall, it had sustained winds of about 185 mph (295 km/h) — vastly faster than motorway speeds and stronger than the sustained winds of many tornadoes.
Secondary Effects
Secondary effects are longer-term problems caused by the primary impacts.
- In Jamaica and Haiti, many communities lost access to clean water, increasing the risk of disease.
- Roads damaged by flooding slowed down the delivery of aid.
- In rural Haiti, farmland was flooded, which could lead to food shortages if crops were destroyed.
- Some schools and hospitals were unable to reopen immediately because their buildings were unsafe or lacked power.
Immediate Responses
- Before the storm, warnings were issued by the National Hurricane Centre, and coastal communities were urged to evacuate.
- In Cuba, over 700,000 people were moved to shelters, preventing many casualties.
- The Jamaica Defence Force cleared blocked roads and delivered food, water and medical supplies to affected areas.
- In Haiti, aid agencies, including PAHO and the Haitian Red Cross, delivered clean water, tents, and emergency medical kits.
- The United Nations and World Food Programme helped transport supplies to ports and airports to speed up relief.
Countries supplying aid
Several countries sent support:
- The United Kingdom supplied more than £2.5 million in emergency funding for Jamaica, along with generators, shelter kits and clean water supplies.
- Canada sent tents, water filters and power generators to the Bahamas and Jamaica.
- The United States helped deliver food, bottled water and mobile medical units to Haiti and Cuba through partner organisations.
Aid Challenges
Even though aid was sent quickly, there were several problems:
- Roads blocked by fallen trees and landslides in Jamaica slowed emergency deliveries to rural villages.
- In Jamaica, power and communication systems were severely damaged, leaving many areas without electricity for days.
- In Haiti, towns such as Petit-Goâve were completely cut off by floods, meaning aid workers could only reach them by boat or helicopter.
- Many families in fishing and farming communities lost boats, nets and crops. Aid groups said that people will need long-term support to rebuild their livelihoods.
Find out more
If you are interested in learning more about Hurricane Melissa, the BBC has produced a 30-minute documentary, “Hurricane Melissa: The Storm That Hit Jamaica,” which is well worth watching.
The path of the hurricane is mapped on Zoom Earth, clearly illustrating changes in the storm’s intensity.
