Hurricane Melissa to hit Jamaica as catastrophic Cat 5 on Tuesday, Oct. 28. Here’s how Sarasota-Manatee residents can help.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as the strongest storm — and only Category 5 hurricane — ever recorded in the nation’s history.

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Heavy floodwaters swept across southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa pummeled the Caribbean island as a catastrophic Category 5 storm,

Texas newlyweds Kasydee and Hunter Bishop are trapped near Montego Bay, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches as a Category 5 storm with 175 mph winds.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 8 a.m. Tuesday advisory, Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 55 miles south-southeast of Negril Jamaica and 265 miles southwest of Guantanamo Cuba. With maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, the hurricane is moving to the north-northeast at 7 mph.

Hurricane Melissa is edging toward Jamaica and is set to make landfall as a historic Category 5 storm, with winds of more than 170 mph. Jamaica is bracing for what the National Hurricane Center said would be catastrophic flash flooding and landslides caused by up to 40 inches of rain in some places. The storm is due to make landfall early tomorrow.

Government officials on the island said they were worried that fewer than 1,000 people were in the more than 880 open shelters.

Hurricane Melissa reached Category 5 status near Jamaica but won't impact the Ohio Valley. Get live updates and tracking information.

Article last updated: Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, 4 p.m. ET

Evan Thompson with the Meteorological Service of Jamaica warned that the impending landfall of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa would cause catastrophic and “life-threatening” damage. Thompson advised seeking shelter in buildings with as many walls as possible to separate them from the outside.