Will Hurricane Melissa affect the United States? The Category 5 storm grew to immense strength Tuesday, but what do we know of its future path?
Landfall in Jamaica
Melissa approached its landfall in Jamaica in the late morning to around lunchtime on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
When will Melissa hit Cuba?
Hurricane Melissa could still be a Category 5 storm by the time it makes secondary landfall in Cuba. That’s expected to happen overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, likely around midnight.
It will likely be exiting Cuba early Wednesday morning.
Will Hurricane Melissa hit the United States?
Hurricane Melissa is not expected to make landfall in the United States. After it makes secondary landfall in Cuba, it will continue to the northeast, keeping it out in the open Atlantic Ocean.
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.