How big is Hurricane Melissa? Our weather team took a look at its size as it hit Jamaica and put that over the United States for context.
As of 8:33 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025, the diameter of the Category 5 hurricane, including its outer bands, spanned 719.4 miles.
Our 4Warn Weather Meteorologist Ashlee Baracy drew a circle around the entirety of the storm at 8:33 a.m. and placed that same-sized over the state of Michigan.
It covered the entire state -- both the Upper and Lower peninsulas -- most of the Great Lakes, and much of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Parts of Canada, Pennsylvania, and New York were also within the circle.
You can watch her entire demonstration in the video above.
Hurricane Melissa’s strength
As Melissa approached Jamaica on Tuesday morning, it reached the rare “Category 5″ strength, with sustained winds that reached up to 180 mph and gusts touching 241 mph, according to Hurricane Hunters.
That sustained wind total neared the theoretical maximum potential intensity that earth’s atmosphere can produce. Read more about that here.
About 30-40 inches of rain are expected to hit Jamaica as the slow-moving storm moves through.
Storm surges are expected to be life-threatening.
Officials warned that flash floods and landslides could be catastrophic, and power outages could last weeks or months.