Hurricane Melissa Strikes as a Category 5 Storm: Assessing Potential Impact on the U.S.

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In a remarkable turn of events, Hurricane Melissa has intensified to one of the most formidable storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, achieving the rare and ominous status of a Category 5 hurricane as of Monday. The National Hurricane Center has issued warnings as the “extremely dangerous” hurricane targets Jamaica, with an anticipated impact on Tuesday.

As of 1 p.m. ET, Hurricane Melissa had already struck land in New Hope, Jamaica, unleashing powerful winds reaching 185 mph, according to the NHC. This unprecedented force has put the region on high alert, with residents bracing for the storm’s full impact.

The storm is currently progressing at a sluggish pace of approximately 9 mph in a north-northeast direction. This slow movement means Melissa is expected to linger over Jamaica throughout Tuesday, before potentially shifting its course toward southeastern Cuba by Wednesday morning.

Rebecca Barry, a meteorologist with Nexstar’s WFLA, expressed her astonishment on “Tracking the Tropics,” noting, “It’s unusual for a storm to move this slowly for such an extended period.” She likened the winds to those of a tornado, emphasizing that the prolonged duration of such intense conditions is unprecedented.

Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness highlighted the dire situation, stating, “There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5.” The prime minister underscored the critical task ahead, adding, “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”

Massive wind damage is expected in Melissa’s core and Jamaica’s highest mountains could see gusts of up to 200 mph, said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

“It’s going to be a very dangerous scenario,” he said, warning that there would be “total building failures.”

Melissa is the fifth most intense Atlantic basin hurricane on record by pressure and the strongest to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian in 2019, according to hurricane specialist and storm surge expert Michael Lowry.

With as close as Jamaica and Cuba are to the U.S. — Havana, Cuba, is just over 100 miles away from Key West, Florida — it’s difficult not to wonder whether Melissa will impact the U.S.

Thankfully, current forecasting suggests that isn’t the case.

The latest experimental cone from the NHC shows Melissa is expected to move through Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas, then travel northward through the Atlantic without reaching the East Coast.

The forecasted track for Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica on Oct. 28, 2025, as a Category 5 storm. (National Hurricane Center)

It’s the poor weather those along the East Coast are experiencing Tuesday that’s helping to keep Melissa away, according to Wes Hohenstein, the chief meteorologist for Nexstar’s WNCN. The region is reporting cool temperatures with breezy conditions and rain in some areas.

“A lot of us are complaining on the East Coast today because we’ve got horrible weather, but it’s that horrible weather, jet stream dip that’s keeping the system away from the United States,” Hohenstein explained during “Tracking the Tropics.”

Only one storm, Chantal, has reached the U.S. this Atlantic hurricane season.

The tropical storm brought severe weather to South Carolina, North Carolina, and into Virginia after making landfall in early July. Others in the northeast also saw the impacts of Chantal.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.