Hurricane Melissa's projected impacts on the Caribbean

Destruction in Jamaica following Hurricane Melissa (Heute)

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 30, 2025, marking one of the worst storms to hit the Caribbean in over a century—and the third Category 5 Atlantic cyclone this year. Melissa has tied the record for the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Atlantic, with winds reaching 185 miles per hour.

Following its northward trajectory across Jamaica, Melissa made landfall in Cuba, albeit being downgraded to a Category 3 storm by this time. However, this was still enough to cause serious damage to the country’s infrastructure, causing over 700,000 people to evacuate ahead of the hurricane’s arrival, out of precaution.

Climatologists are highlighting the effects of climate change on tropical storms and their severity. Hurricane Melissa, for example, intensified rapidly as it crossed warmer-than-average areas of the Atlantic. 

“In short, nature continues to reaffirm the basic laws of thermodynamics,” said Steve Bowen, the chief scientist at Gallagher Reinsurance.

Storm intensification additionally affects the realm of human rights. More devastating storms will result in increasingly severe damage to infrastructure, including hospitals, homes, and schools. This significantly affects isolated and underdeveloped communities, many of which have been completely cut off from access to help.

As a result of Hurricane Melissa, questions have arisen on the differing roles of high and low-income countries in combating climate change and its effects. On an individual level, developing countries do not contribute greatly to emissions, but are often disproportionately affected by environmental catastrophes. Specifically in the Caribbean, costs of damages due to climate change are projected to comprise over 20 percent of GDP by the year 2100 if measures are not taken to address the issue.

There are at least 30 known casualties as a result of the storm, though this story is still unfolding.