For Jamaica, there will likely be a “before Melissa” and a “after Melissa”, similar to the long-term impact of other historic hurricanes such as Katrina, Sandy and Michael.
This graphic from ABC News shows the forecast for Hurricane Melissa as of October 27, 2025.
ABC News
The strongest hurricane to make landfall in Jamaica was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, a Category 4 hurricane, with sustained winds of 130 mph. On Monday morning, Melissa was classified as a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 160 mph.
The 24 hours from noon Monday to noon Tuesday are expected to be the most destructive for the island. The worst of the storm is expected to have passed over Jamaica by Wednesday morning.
Tropical storm force winds are already occurring across Jamaica. They will increase steadily until Monday. Hurricane-force winds are expected late tonight and into Wednesday morning.
This graphic from ABC News shows the forecast for Hurricane Melissa as of October 27, 2025.
ABC News
Due to Melissa’s slow pace, massive amounts of rain will fall on the island totaling 15 to 30 inches, and up to 40 inches in localized areas.
The National Hurricane Center has warned that this rainfall is expected to produce catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding today through Tuesday.
-Kenton Gewecke of ABC News
