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In Photos: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica

By Maansi Srivastava
Published October 28, 2025 at 12:20 PM EDT
A man walks in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
Matias Delacroix
/
AP
A man walks in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Jamaica with winds of 185 miles per hour.

The massive category 5 storm continued to strengthen up until the moment it made landfall near the town of New Hope.

And this is a monster of a storm that meteorologists say will be in the history books. Only six other Atlantic storms have done that since record-keeping began.

The western side of Jamaica is being pummeled by wind; the coast line is being flooded by a storm surge that could reach 13 feet. The National Hurricane Center says Jamaica should expect catastrophic damage.

Here is what the scene looks like now:

Copyright 2025 NPR

This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Melissa, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
NOAA / via AP
/
via AP
This satellite image provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration shows Hurricane Melissa, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record.
Ricardo Makyn / AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP via Getty Images
Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on Oct. 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record.
A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
/
AP
A man watches the coastline in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa closes in, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
A man wades through a flooded street ahead of the forecasted arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
/
AP
A man wades through a flooded street ahead of the forecasted arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Douglas Butler, a retired fisherman, fills up a barrel of water for his household as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 27, 2025.
Octavio Jones / Reuters
/
Reuters
Douglas Butler, a retired fisherman, fills up a barrel of water for his household as Hurricane Melissa approaches, in Port Royal, Jamaica on Oct. 27, 2025.
People take shelter at a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
/
AP
People take shelter at a school ahead of Hurricane Melissa's forecast arrival in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Volunteers assemble relief packages for Hurricane Melissa at the Global Empowerment Mission headquarters in Miami, on Oct. 27, 2024. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record.
Chandan Khanna / AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP via Getty Images
Volunteers assemble relief packages for Hurricane Melissa at the Global Empowerment Mission headquarters in Miami, on Oct. 27, 2024. Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island's most violent weather on record.
A fisherman ties boats in preparation for the forecasted arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
/
AP
A fisherman ties boats in preparation for the forecasted arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Old Harbour, Jamaica, Monday, Oct. 27, 2025.
A man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Oct. 27, 2025.
AFP / via Getty Images
/
via Getty Images
A man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on Oct. 27, 2025.
Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, 2025.
Matias Delacroix / AP
/
AP
Waves splash in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches on Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, 2025.
A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 26, 2025.
Ricardo Makyn / AFP via Getty Images
/
AFP via Getty Images
A coconut tree sways in the wind at the Kingston Waterfront on Ocean Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Melissa on Oct. 26, 2025.
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Maansi Srivastava