Hurricane Melissa Wreaks Havoc in Caribbean

October 28, 2025

Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm with winds reaching 175 miles per hour, is moving through the Caribbean and has already killed seven people in Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic. The storm is projected to strike Jamaica on Tuesday and southeastern Cuba by Wednesday, bringing potentially catastrophic flooding with up to 30 inches of rainfall in some Jamaican regions. Climate scientists point to human-caused warming as a factor intensifying the hurricane's dangers, noting that unusually high sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean have boosted wind speeds and damage potential.

Who is affected

Seven people killed across Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic
Residents of Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas
Evan Thompson, Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica
Dr. Daniel Gilford, meteorologist and climate scientist at Climate Central

What action is being taken

The National Hurricane Center is issuing advisories on the storm (Advisory 28A mentioned)
Jamaica, Cuba, and the Bahamas are bracing for impact
Scientists are monitoring and analyzing the storm's intensity and climate change connections

Why it matters

This is one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record and demonstrates the increasing intensity of hurricanes linked to climate change. The unusually high Caribbean sea surface temperatures (2.5°F above normal) are fueling more dangerous storms, with climate warming increasing Melissa's wind speeds by 10 mph and potentially boosting damage by 50%. The occurrence of multiple Category 5 storms in a single season highlights the growing threat that climate change poses to vulnerable Caribbean communities.

What's next

No explicit next steps stated in the article

Read full article from source: The Washington Informer