Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica near New Hope as Category 5 storm | LIVE LOOK

KINGSTON, Jamaica -- Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday successful Jamaica arsenic a catastrophic Category 5 storm, 1 of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes successful history.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center successful Miami warned of devastating flash flooding and galore landslides from the hurricane with 185 mph (295 kph) winds.

Forecasters warned that Melissa besides was expected to marque landfall successful eastbound Cuba precocious Tuesday oregon aboriginal Wednesday and past caput toward the southeast Bahamas. It was not expected to impact the United States.

The slow-moving tempest has killed astatine slightest 3 radical successful Jamaica, 3 radical successful Haiti and a 4th idiosyncratic successful the Dominican Republic, wherever different idiosyncratic remains missing.

Only 9 Atlantic hurricanes person been stronger than Melissa, though respective others person besides deed 175-mph strength. Hurricane Allen from 1980 inactive holds the rubric arsenic the basin's strongest tempest with 190 mph winds.

Officials said determination was nary much mentation they could bash and cautioned that the cleanup and harm appraisal volition beryllium slow. The tempest has already been blamed for astatine slightest 7 deaths successful the Caribbean - 3 successful Jamaica, 3 successful Haiti and 1 successful the Dominican Republic.

This ABC News graphic shows the forecast for Hurricane Melissa arsenic of Oct. 28, 2025.

Hurricane Melissa intensified Tuesday arsenic it crawled toward Jamaica, wherever officials and residents braced for catastrophic winds, flash flooding and landslides from the Category 5 storm, 1 of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes successful history.

The streets successful the capital, Kingston, remained mostly bare arsenic Melissa approached with 185 mph (295 kph) winds, prevention for the lone stray canine crossing puddles and a fistful of radical walking briskly nether histrion branches waving successful a stiff wind.

Desmond McKenzie, lawman president of Jamaica's Disaster Risk Management Council, urged radical to question structure and enactment indoors arsenic the tempest crosses the island.

"Jamaica, this is not the clip to beryllium brave," helium said.

The Jamaican authorities said it had done each it could to hole arsenic it warned of devastating harm from the strongest hurricane to deed the land since recordkeeping began 174 years ago.

"There is nary infrastructure successful the portion that tin withstand a Category 5," Prime Minister Andrew Holness said. "The question present is the velocity of recovery. That's the challenge."

Massive upwind harm is expected successful Melissa's halfway and Jamaica's highest mountains could spot gusts of up to 200 mph (322 kph), said Michael Brennan, manager of the U.S. National Hurricane Center successful Miami.

Waves splash successful Kingston, Jamaica, arsenic Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

AP Photo/Matias Delacroix

"It's going to beryllium a precise unsafe scenario," helium said, informing that determination would beryllium "total gathering failures."

Melissa is the 5th astir aggravated Atlantic basin hurricane connected grounds by unit and the strongest to marque landfall since Hurricane Dorian successful 2019, according to hurricane specializer and tempest surge adept Michael Lowry.

It is "a worst-case script unfolding for Jamaica," helium said.

Jamaica prepares for the aftermath

Landslides, fallen trees and galore powerfulness outages were reported arsenic Melissa approached, with officials successful Jamaica cautioning that the cleanup and harm appraisal could beryllium slow. The tempest is expected portion diagonally crossed the land and caput for Cuba.

On Tuesday morning, Melissa was centered astir 30 miles (55 kilometers) southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and astir 230 miles (375 kilometers) southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The strategy had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph) and was moving north-northeast astatine 9 mph (15 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

A life-threatening tempest surge of up to 13 feet (4 meters) is expected crossed confederate Jamaica, with officials acrophobic astir the interaction connected immoderate hospitals on the coastline. Health Minister Christopher Tufton said immoderate patients were relocated from the crushed level to the 2nd floor, "and (we) anticipation that volition suffice for immoderate surge that volition instrumentality place."

One antheral called a section vigor presumption and said helium urgently needed to assistance a pistillate successful occidental Jamaica who had gone into labour arsenic the tempest prepared to marque landfall. The show's big pleaded with listeners to fto the antheral cognize the safest infirmary for the woman. An obstetrician called successful and provided elaborate directions connected however to present a baby, if necessary.

This ABC News graphic shows the forecast for Hurricane Melissa arsenic of Oct. 28, 2025.

Colin Bogle, a Mercy Corps advisor based adjacent Kingston, said astir families are sheltering successful spot contempt the authorities ordering evacuations successful flood-prone communities.

"Many person ne'er experienced thing similar this before, and the uncertainty is frightening," helium said. "There is profound fearfulness of losing homes and livelihoods, of injury, and of displacement."

McKenzie said the authorities was prepared for rescues instantly aft the storm: "We person boats, helicopters, you sanction it."

The tempest already was blamed for 7 deaths successful the Caribbean, including 3 successful Jamaica, 3 successful Haiti and 1 successful the Dominican Republic, wherever different idiosyncratic remains missing.

Necephor Mghendi, the International Red Cross' determination caput of delegation for the English- and Dutch-speaking Caribbean, said an estimated 1.5 cardinal radical successful the storm's way volition beryllium affected but "the full colonisation whitethorn consciousness the interaction 1 mode oregon the other."

More than 240,000 customers were without powerfulness earlier landfall and astir one-fourth of the telecommunications strategy was offline, said Darryl Vaz, transport and vigor minister. He said crews volition cleanable and tally tests astatine the island's 2 main planetary airports Wednesday successful hopes of receiving exigency alleviation flights arsenic aboriginal arsenic Thursday.

U.N. agencies and dozens of nonprofits had food, medicine and different indispensable supplies positioned arsenic they awaited a organisation unreserved aft the storm.

Matthew Samuda, Jamaica's h2o and situation minister, said helium had much than 50 generators disposable to deploy aft the storm, but warned radical to acceptable speech cleanable h2o and usage it sparingly.

"Every driblet volition count," helium said.

Melissa takes purpose astatine Cuba

Melissa was expected to marque landfall successful eastbound Cuba precocious Tuesday oregon aboriginal Wednesday. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rainfall were forecast successful areas, on with a important tempest surge on the coast.

Authorities successful eastbound Holguín state prepared to evacuate much than 200,000 radical Tuesday and evacuated a akin fig of radical earlier from the municipality of Banes.

Reports connected societal media and authorities tv showed bluish and achromatic buses ferrying evacuees to structure aboriginal Tuesday. Families clutched babies and belongings and aged radical steadied themselves with canes arsenic they disembarked.

Hurricane Melissa roars successful the Caribbean Sea connected the greeting of October 27.

NOAA via CNN Newsource

"This improvement is precise dangerous," Deputy Prime Minister Eduardo Martínez said successful a connection from Banes, wherever helium was located successful what appeared to beryllium a shelter. "It is unprecedented."

Melissa besides has drenched the confederate regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with a tropical tempest informing inactive successful effect for Haiti. The hurricane was forecast to crook northeast and onslaught the southeast Bahamas by Wednesday evening.