Hurricane Melissa Devastates the Caribbean, Makes Landfall in Cuba After Wreaking Havoc in Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after tearing through Jamaica as the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season. The hurricane brought catastrophic winds, torrential rains, and widespread destruction across the Caribbean, leaving several people dead and tens of thousands displaced.

Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, causing devastating flash floods and landslides. Infrastructure suffered severe damage, with widespread power and communication outages leaving hundreds of thousands in darkness. The parish of St. Elizabeth was inundated, and its only hospital reported heavy damage and loss of power. Jamaican authorities reported three deaths on the island, while at least four others were confirmed in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

By late Tuesday, the hurricane had weakened slightly before restrengthening into a Category 4 storm as it approached Cuba. It made landfall at around 3:10 a.m. local time in Santiago de Cuba province with sustained winds of 115 mph. Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel said over 735,000 people were evacuated ahead of the storm, warning of “significant damage” and massive recovery work ahead. Melissa is now expected to move across the southeastern and central Bahamas, where evacuations have also been ordered.

U.S. President Donald Trump said aboard Air Force One that Washington was closely monitoring the situation and ready to provide humanitarian assistance to Jamaica. “We’re prepared to move,” Trump said, expressing shock at the storm’s 195 mph winds. Meanwhile, the Miami Heat basketball team and the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation announced a $1 million donation to aid Jamaica’s recovery, while World Central Kitchen began distributing meals to affected families.

Authorities across the region continue to assess the full extent of the destruction, as the storm — the most powerful in the region in years — leaves behind a trail of devastation from Haiti to Cuba.