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Hurricane Melissa, the thirteenth named storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, underwent rapid and explosive intensification on October 26, 2025, reaching Category 4 status with maximum sustained winds of 225 km/h (140 mph) by early afternoon.
Located about 205 km (120 mi) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and 450 km (280 mi) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, its slow westward motion at 8 km/h (5 mph) exacerbated its danger, prolonging exposure to heavy rainfall and other hazards.
While the storm’s core is forecast to make landfall in Jamaica late Monday or early Tuesday (October 27-28), its extensive rain bands and outer circulation have already crossed Haiti, with impacts expected to linger for several days beginning on October 23.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecast indicates possible further strengthening to Category 5 status before landfall in Jamaica, and its slow pace will intensify flooding risks in the northern Caribbean.
Impacts on Haiti
Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, particularly the Tiburon Peninsula and the Sud and Grande-Anse departments, were the hardest hit by Melissa’s outer rain bands and tropical-storm-force winds since midweek, peaking on October 26, amid the storm’s intensification.
Among deaths and injuries, Haiti’s General Directorate of Civil Protection (DGPC) reported at least three deaths: two from a landslide in Fontamara (south of Port-au-Prince) and one from a fallen tree in Marigot (Southeast Department). Five additional injuries were reported from a wall collapse, and one person is missing in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
Flooding and landslides, torrential rains (20 to 35 cm (8 to 14 inches) until October 26, with totals potentially reaching 76 cm (30 inches) by midweek) triggered catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides, turning streets into rivers and overflowing banks.
Southwestern Haiti faced life-threatening conditions, with isolated communities and destroyed homes in the Grand Sud municipalities.
Tropical storm conditions (gusts of 63 to 117 km/h (39 to 73 mph) affected the region, causing temporary power outages and damaging communications. Winds briefly eased on the Tiburon Peninsula, but are expected to strengthen again on Tuesday.
Red alerts were issued for the Sud and Grande-Anse departments; partial evacuations were in place in flood-prone areas. Airports remained operational, but caution was urged.
Prolonged exposure to Melissa’s wet bands has exacerbated Haiti’s vulnerabilities, exacerbated by political instability, poverty, and recovery from previous disasters, such as the 2021 earthquake and the 2024 floods. Short- and medium-term consequences include:
Thousands of people displaced, with shelters overflowing in Port-au-Prince and southern regions. Food insecurity risks increase as flooded agricultural lands destroy crops; disease outbreaks (e.g., cholera) loom due to contaminated water sources.
Economic and infrastructure damage. Extensive infrastructure damage is projected, including prolonged power outages (potentially lasting weeks in rural areas) and the isolation of communities due to the destruction of roads and bridges.
Early estimates suggest losses in the millions for agriculture, fisheries, and small businesses; tourism in southern Haiti has ground to a halt.
Erosion caused by landslides could lead to long-term soil degradation. Coastal storm surges (up to 2.7 meters) threaten mangroves and fisheries. The “train effect” of the slow-moving storm has saturated soils, increasing the risk of additional rainfall through midweek.
The island shared with the Dominican Republic is experiencing flooding; aid coordination is hampered by gang violence in Haiti.
The consequences in the Caribbean are similar to those in Haiti, but are intensifying. Jamaica faces up to 101.6 cm of rain and storm surges of 2.7 to 3.9 meters, which could isolate communities and cause widespread power outages; eastern Cuba is bracing for 15.2 to 45.7 cm of rain and landslides by midweek.
Conclusions and Outlook
Melissa’s passage underscores the dangers of slow-moving, late-season hurricanes in a warming climate, where warmer Caribbean waters drive rapid intensification (Melissa reached 112 km/h in 18 hours) and amplify rainfall by 10% to 20% per degree of warming.
For Haiti, the storm highlights chronic infraresilience: despite warnings, resource shortages delayed evacuations, amplifying the death toll, which could rise as assessments continue.
International aid (e.g., from USAID and the Red Cross) is being mobilized, but experts urge pre-positioning supplies to avoid delays following Matthew (2016), when more than 800 people died in Haiti from similar flooding.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) forecasts that Melissa will weaken after making landfall in Jamaica, but remain near Cuba/Bahamas until Wednesday, posing no threat to the U.S. East Coast.
Recovery in Haiti will require an urgent focus on drainage infrastructure and early warning systems. Beginning the evening of October 26, follow NHC updates; seek shelter immediately in at-risk areas. This event reinforces calls for global funding for climate adaptation, as vulnerable countries like Haiti face an increasing risk of “hyperactive” storms.
