Hurricane Melissa killed at least 95 people Last fall, it received an upgrade from the National Hurricane Center in a postseason review.
As a record hurricane approaches JamaicaOn October 28, estimated maximum sustained wind speeds reached a terrifying 190 miles per hour, tying Hurricane Allen in 1980 as one of the two hurricanes with the highest wind speeds on record in the Atlantic Basin.
With less than 100 days until the 2026 hurricane season begins on June 1, the Hurricane Center is finishing up its review of the 2025 season. New information about Melissa’s wind speed has been revealed. Final report submitted by the center February 25th.
Elsewhere this week, Tropical Storm Horacio It was a Category 5 storm with winds of 160 mph in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.
Melissa’s rapid development, strong winds, and unusual hurricane behavior surprised even some of the most experienced scientists who study tropical cyclones, in part due to its travels through the very warm waters of the Caribbean Sea.
Recorded wind gusts exceeded 250 mph
At about the same time that the sustained winds reached their peak, Wind gusts of 252 mph were measured This was caused by a dropsonde instrument dropped by the crew of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Hurricane Hunter aircraft.
This is the highest wind speed ever recorded by a consumable instrument called a dropsonde deployed in a hurricane, according to the National Science Foundation’s National Center for Atmospheric Research, which developed the instrument. The White House is Directed the Foundation to dismantle the Atmospheric Center.known as NCAR.
Andrew Hazelton, a hurricane scientist at the University of Miami who processed the 252 mph wind gust record, told USA TODAY on Feb. 25 that he was “not surprised” by the update.
“The data taken together (dropsondes, flight-level data, satellites, etc.) suggested that this was the strongest storm the Atlantic Basin had ever seen, and unfortunately this happened just before landfall,” Hazelton said. “Thankfully, the forecasts were accurate and timely thanks to the hard work of forecasters, modelers, and other scientists who helped us better understand and learn how to predict rapid development.”
By the time Melissa made landfall several hours later, the circulation had weakened as it began to move over the island. Still, sustained wind speeds at the time of landfall were estimated at 185 miles per hour. This makes it the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in Jamaica. This also ties the record for the highest sustained wind speed hurricane to make landfall in the Atlantic Hurricane Basin.
What record did Hurricane Melissa break?
Peak maximum sustained wind power, tied for first place with Allen in 1980
Maximum sustained winds at the time of landfall in Jamaica were 185 miles per hour, making it one of the strongest landfalls in Jamaica, along with the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935 and Dorian in 2019.
With a minimum central pressure of 892 millibars, it ranks with the Labor Day storm as the third strongest after Wilma in 2005 and Gilbert in 1988.
The atmospheric pressure at Jamaica’s landfall was 897 millibars, the second lowest landfall pressure on record, after the Labor Day storm’s 892 millibars.
The maximum wind speed measured by a dropsonde was 252 miles per hour, exceeding that of Super Typhoon Megi in 2010.
Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa beginning to make landfall in Jamaica just before 1:00 p.m. on October 28, 2025.
Hurricane Melissa in numbers
Among the information in the postseason report, the Hurricane Center provided the following information:
Melissa dumped up to 35 inches of rain in Jamaica and brought storm surge estimated at 7 to 11 feet over normally dry ground east of the Crawford and Black River landfall sites.
Physical damage to Jamaica’s buildings, infrastructure and agriculture was estimated at $8.8 billion as of mid-November.
Known deaths related to Melissa in the Caribbean include 45 in Jamaica, 43 in Haiti, four in the Dominican Republic, and one in Cuba.
The storm killed an estimated 1.25 million animals, including poultry and cattle, and farmers reported losing about 45% of their coffee crops.
Andy Hazelton, a hurricane scientist at the University of Miami, took this photo inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa while flying a NOAA WP-3D hurricane reconnaissance aircraft named Kermit after Kermit the Frog.
death toll in south florida
The Hurricane Center concluded Death of Alexander and Selena Wurm He was also indirectly connected to Melissa. A father and daughter were killed in a plane crash near Coral Springs, Florida, while delivering hurricane relief supplies in Jamaica. Worm was the founder and CEO of the evangelical organization Ignite the Fire.
Dinah Boyles Pulver, national correspondent for USA TODAY, has been writing about hurricanes, tornadoes and severe weather for more than 30 years. Contact dpulver@usatoday.com or @dinahvp on Bluesky or dinahvp.77 on X or Signal.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY. Hurricane Melissa’s winds reached 190 mph as it approached Jamaica