Hurricane Melissa’s assault on Jamaica underway as catastrophic impacts threaten ‘total structural failure’
Hurricane Melissa is bearing down on Jamaica as a powerful Category 5 hurricane, and landfall is expected later Tuesday morning. FOX Weather Meteorologist Craig Herrera breaks down the latest advisory on Oct. 28, 2025.
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The time to prepare is over, and millions of people across the Caribbean island nation of Jamaica are hunkering down and praying for safety as Hurricane Melissa’s catastrophic and historic assault gets underway.
For days, Jamaica’s government has been warning its residents and visitors to make preparations ahead of the monster storm’s landfall, and people have been rushing to stock up on food and water to sustain them through what will likely be long-duration power and communication outages due to the storm’s ferocious impacts.
However, fears are growing that the Category 5 hurricane’s destructive, 175-mph winds may be too strong for buildings to handle, and officials are warning that those winds could lead to “total structural failure” near the path of Melissa’s powerful core.
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Teenagers gather at the Bank of Jamaica’s car park on the Waterfront in Kingston on October 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. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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People sit in a shelter at Holy Family Primary School in Kingston on October 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. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Waves crash onto the beach in Kingston on October 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. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man watches the waves crash into the walls at the Kingston Waterfront on October 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. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man covers the windows of his home with corrugated iron ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man attempts to secure the roof of his home ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Melissa in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, on October 27, 2025. Hurricane Melissa strengthened Monday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean as a top-level Category 5 storm, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. After passing over Jamaica, the storm was forecast to head north and cross over eastern Cuba on Tuesday night, while continuing to bring rain and heavy winds to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. (Photo by AFP) (Photo by STRINGER/AFP via Getty Images)
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A man uses his cellphone at the waterfront in Kingston on October 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. Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A motorist drives along flooded Michael Manley Boulevard in Kingston, Jamaica, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A fallen Jamaica Public Service Company light pole is seen on the Sugar Man’s beach main road in Hellshire, St Catherine parish, near Portmore, as Jamaica starts to feel the effects of Hurricane Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa, already a major category 4 storm, gathered steam Sunday as it took aim at Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean, with forecasters predicting catastrophic flooding and urging residents to seek shelter immediately. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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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 Mellisa on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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A cyclist rides up to a store to seek shelter from Hurricane Mellisa in Portmore on October 26, 2025. Hurricane Melissa was cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean on the night of October 25, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said. (Photo by Ricardo Makyn / AFP) (Photo by RICARDO MAKYN/AFP via Getty Images)
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Hurricane Melissa has been slowly spinning to the south of Jamaica, moving erratically over the warm waters of the Caribbean. But now Melissa is interacting with a cold front that is starting to pull the storm to the north-northeast and eventually northeast on a path that will likely slice through the middle of the island.
Hurricane Melissa is hours away from its expected landfall in Jamaica late Tuesday morning or early Tuesday afternoon, but the storm has already been deadly.
“I’m very sad to say that over the past few days in preparation of the storm, we’ve had three deaths,” Jamaica’s Minister of Health and Wellness Dr. the Hon. Chrisopher Tufton, MP, said. “Three deaths linked to cutting down of trees. And in one instance, electrocution because of or due to the cutting down of a tree.”
Injuries have also been reported, with Tufton saying most injuries were due to people falling from trees or rooftops, car crashes and one person who was walking through water and had “a nail penetrate their skin.”
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FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray is on the move in Jamaica, as the now Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is expected to move over the country tonight and early Tuesday.
Most people across Jamaica have been seeking shelter inside sturdy structures, but Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said shelter occupancy has been low in some parishes.
Officials said there are more than 800 shelters open for residents, but as of Monday night, only 76 were in use. Those numbers were expected to rise, however.
“Shelters are free and safe,” Holness said in a Facebook post. “Families stay together, and residents should bring medications, water and snacks. False reports about fees or restrictions should be ignored.”
But time is quickly running out for those who have still not made it into shelters, as conditions are deteriorating rapidly across Jamaica.
HURRICANE MELISSA IS THE THIRD CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE THIS SEASON, A FIRST IN 20 YEARS
FOX Weather Hurricane Specialist Bryan Norcross provides the latest on the monstrous Hurricane Melissa, which is expected to bring winds over 170 MPH and up to 30 inches of rain to Jamaica.
“Remain sheltered,” the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest advisory. “Catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds will continue through today, causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages and isolated communities.”
And along the southern coast of Jamaica, a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves lashing beaches are likely.
The NHC issued an ominous warning to residents of Jamaica in its latest forecast discussion: “Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life.”
BRYAN NORCROSS: CATEGORY 5 HURRICANE MELISSA HEADING FOR JAMAICA’S SOUTH COAST
What’s the latest with Hurricane Melissa?
This animated image provides the latest information on Hurricane Melissa.
(FOX Weather)
As of the latest forecast information from the NHC, Hurricane Melissa is packing maximum sustained winds of 175 mph – making it a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane. The NHC said some fluctuations in strength are likely, but no matter if Melissa remains a Category 5 hurricane or weakens to a Category 4 hurricane, impacts will be the same.
Hurricane Melissa is currently located about 115 miles to the west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and was moving off to the north-northeast at 5 mph.
A turn to the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected later on Tuesday, followed by a faster northeast motion on Wednesday and Thursday.
(FOX Weather)
On that forecast track, the NHC said the center of Melissa will likely move over Jamaica on Tuesday, across southeastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, and across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday.
Hurricane Warnings remain in effect for Jamaica, portions of eastern Cuba and the southeastern and central Bahamas.
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