Hurricane Melissa Bears Down on Jamaica and Threatens to Be the Island’s Strongest Recorded Storm

IN SPACE, CARIBBEAN SEA – OCTOBER 27: (EDITOR’S NOTE: This Handout image was provided by a third-party organization and may not adhere to Getty Images’ editorial policy.) In this handout satellite image provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Hurricane Melissa churns northwest through the Caribbean Sea captured at 17:00Z on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center. (Photo by NOAA via Getty Images)

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it draws closer to Jamaica, where forecasters say it will unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage. The intensification happened Monday. At that strength, the system would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Melissa has been blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it heads toward the island. It was on track to make landfall Tuesday in Jamaica before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas. It was not expected to affect the United States.