This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Melissa, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025. (NOAA via AP)

One of the strongest hurricanes in Atlantic history blew through Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, and the Caribbean Islands this week, as Melissa brought widespread devastation. 

The Category 5 storm that saw max sustained winds of 185 mph made landfall on Tuesday, being the first time a storm of that magnitude made landfall in the Atlantic since Dorian in 2019. 

On Wednesday, Melissa arrived in Cuba as a Category 3 storm. 

According to the Associated Press, unknown dozens are dead, in the storm that ravaged the islands, causing massive power outages, infrastructure destruction, and heartbreak. 

“This historic landfall left a path of catastrophic destruction where the eye of the storm crossed through western Jamaica,” said AccuWeather Chief Meteorologist Jonathan Porter in a release. “Homes and businesses were destroyed by hours of extreme winds. Communities across the island and adjacent areas of Southern Hispaniola were flooded by torrential rainfall. The loss of tourism and disruptions to business will be felt for years. Extensive work is needed to repair or rebuild critical infrastructure from the winds, storm surge, flooding and mudslides. In the hardest hit communities, the recovery will take years, even a decade or more. Virtually the entire economy of Jamaica has been impacted by this hurricane.”

AccuWeather experts on Wednesday issued a new preliminary estimate of total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Melissa at $48 billion to $52 billion. 

“Recovery and relief operations will be extremely dangerous and challenging over the next few days. After a major hurricane in a tropical climate, mold, mildew, and mosquitoes quickly become major health concerns,” said AccuWeather lead hurricane expert Alex DaSilva in a release. “Residents and tourists may be stranded for quite some time in the hardest-hit areas. This was a historic and devastating storm for the Caribbean. The recovery and rebuilding process after a direct hit from a Category 5 storm could take a decade or longer.”

Porter stated that medical care, evacuation efforts, getting clean drinking water, emergency shelter, and basic necessities for survivors are a top priority in the immediate aftermath of the storm. 

“An urgent and coordinated international response is needed to help tens of thousands of people in desperate need of aid across the western Caribbean,” Porter said. “The next few days will be crucial for search, rescue, and relief operations, with the focus on saving lives. A humanitarian crisis can quickly develop if help cannot reach the hardest hit areas over the next 48 hours.”

AccuWeather hurricane experts say Melissa tied two other hurricanes as the strongest recorded landfall on record in the Atlantic basin. Hurricane Melissa, Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and the Labor Day storm of 1935 all had a landfall with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.

“This has been a remarkably unique hurricane season with very powerful storms. Hurricane Melissa was able to maintain Category 5 strength for a staggering 34 hours before it hit Jamaica,” DaSilva stated. “Melissa is the third storm this season to explode into a Category 5 hurricane. Exceptionally warm waters across the Atlantic basin provided ample energy for storms to rapidly intensify this year. The only year on record with more Category 5 storms was 2005, with four storms.”

After tearing through the western side of Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa made its way to Cuba and Haiti. According to The Associated Press, at least 25 people have died across Haiti and 18 are missing, Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said in a statement Wednesday.

“There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said, according to The Associated Press. “The question now is the speed of recovery. That’s the challenge.”

Relief flights began landing at Jamaica’s main international airport late Wednesday, as it was able to reopen, as crews distributed water, food and other basic supplies, according to AP. 

AP reporting stated that in Cuba, officials reported collapsed houses, blocked mountain roads and roofs blown off buildings Wednesday, with the heaviest destruction concentrated in the southwest and northwest. Authorities said about 735,000 people remained in shelters.

“Hurricane Melissa slammed into southeast Cuba with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph,” DaSilva stated. “A major hurricane landfall in the dark is incredibly dangerous, with flying debris and life-threatening flash flooding. Melissa was able to regain some of its strength overnight as it left Jamaica and crossed the warm waters of the Caribbean before its second destructive landfall in Cuba. The storm surge that pushed into some of the bays and beaches may have reached 10-15 feet. The storm lost wind intensity as it interacted with the mountains of southeast Cuba, but the forced upward motion of the air over the mountainous terrain is squeezing out tremendous amounts of rainfall. Life-threatening flooding and mudslides can happen in a matter of minutes with this much rain, especially near steep terrain.”

Wednesday on “X” Secretary of State Marco Rubio wrote, “The United States is in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas as they confront the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa. We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies.

“Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean.”

Information reported by the Associated Press is included in this report.