At 1pm E.T. today, Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph. This made it one of the most powerful storms ever to strike the Atlantic Basin, tying Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the Labor Day Hurricane (1935) in wind speed, and second only to Hurricane Allen (1980). With a central pressure of 892 mb, Melissa also matched the Labor Day Hurricane’s record for the lowest pressure at landfall.
Hurricane Melissa reached hurricane strength on Saturday and, less than 36 hours later, became the third Category 5 storm of the 2025 Atlantic season. The season had been relatively quiet to that point, with no major storms having significantly impacted the continental United States. With another month remaining, activity has sharply increased. The number of Category 5 storms this year actually already ranks second only to 2005, which saw four, including Hurricane Katrina.
Torrential rain continues to batter Jamaica, with up to 40 inches expected in some areas as the storm slowly moves across the island. The western region, which was first and most heavily hit, is both the heart of Jamaica’s agricultural industry and a major hub for tourism. Flash floods and landslides are ongoing concerns. You are beginning to see pictures of the devastation in the media, but the full extent of the devastation is still unknown, as widespread communication outages persist, but the loss of life and damage to infrastructure are expected to be severe.
The storm is also affecting southwestern Haiti and eastern Cuba, where up to 25 inches of rain are expected, though the impact is projected to be far less severe than in Jamaica. Once it moves past this part of the Caribbean, it is expected to turn eastward and head back out into the Atlantic Ocean.
NECHAMA’s service area is limited to the United States. While we will not be deploying in response to this event, if you would like to make a contribution to support relief efforts in Jamaica or the surrounding region, we will pass along all donations designated for this to a relevant Jewish or partner organization assisting in recovery.
If you do so, please select donation options and include the words “Jamaica” or “Hurricane Melissa” in the comment section of our donation form.
In the face of such immense loss, we extend our deepest sympathies. May those impacted find strength and support.