BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – A post-storm analysis by the National Hurricane Center has confirmed that Hurricane Melissa reached peak sustained winds of 190 miles per hour, tying it with Hurricane Allen (1980) for the strongest hurricane ever recorded in the Atlantic basin in terms of maximum sustained wind speed.
Melissa, which devastated portions of the Greater Antilles in late October, achieved this historic intensity on October 28 when it was located approximately 40 miles south-southwest of New Hope, Jamaica. The hurricane maintained this extreme strength as it made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm with 185-mph winds, making it the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica.
Category 5 Hurricane Melissa near its peak intensity of 190 mph just south of Jamaica on October 28, 2025. Credit: Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere at Colorado State University and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.(CSU/CIRA & NOAA)Hurricane Allen near its peak intensity of 190 mph as it passed between Cuba and the Yucatan Peninsula on August 7, 1980.(CSU/CIRA & NOAA)
Record-Breaking Intensity
The 190-mph peak intensity was determined using a combination of aircraft reconnaissance data, satellite imagery, and dropsonde observations collected by Air Force Reserve and NOAA Hurricane Hunter aircraft. The analysis revealed that Melissa’s minimum central pressure dropped to 892 millibars—tied with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane for the third-lowest pressure on record in the Atlantic basin.
“The data collected during Melissa’s peak intensity provides valuable insight into the extreme conditions that can develop within a Category 5 hurricane,” according to the National Hurricane Center’s post-analysis report. Aircraft measurements included a maximum flight-level wind of 173 knots (199 mph) and a dropsonde recording a mean wind of 188 knots (216 mph) in the lowest 150 meters of the atmosphere.
Global Records Set
Beyond matching Allen’s Atlantic basin record, Melissa set a remarkable global record when a dropsonde measured an instantaneous wind gust of 219 knots (252 mph)—the strongest wind ever recorded by a dropsonde in any tropical cyclone worldwide. This surpassed the previous global record of 209 knots (241 mph) set by Super Typhoon Megi in 2010.
Devastating Impact Across the Caribbean
Melissa’s extreme intensity translated into catastrophic impacts across the Caribbean. The hurricane produced:
- Storm surge: Peak water levels of 7 to 11 feet above normally dry ground along Jamaica’s southwestern coast, with significant structural damage and displaced vessels documented along the coastline
- Extreme rainfall: Localized accumulations exceeding 35 inches in southern Haiti, over 32 inches in Jamaica’s interior highlands, and more than 27 inches in the Dominican Republic
- Widespread flooding: Catastrophic freshwater flooding across the Greater Antilles, with rivers overflowing their banks and entire communities submerged
- Severe wind damage: Nearly all wooden structures destroyed in western Jamaica, with roofs stripped from most buildings and severe damage to concrete construction
Human Toll
As of the final assessment, Melissa was responsible for at least 95 fatalities across the Caribbean:
- Jamaica: 45 deaths
- Haiti: 43 deaths
- Dominican Republic: 4 deaths
- Cuba: 1 death
- Elsewhere: 2 deaths
The death toll in Jamaica was further complicated by a post-storm outbreak of Leptospirosis, a bacterial infection spread through contaminated floodwaters, which claimed additional lives during recovery operations.
Economic Devastation
The economic impact has been staggering. Jamaica alone sustained an estimated $8.8 billion USD in physical damage—representing 41 percent of the nation’s 2024 gross domestic product. The destruction has been characterized as among the worst ever recorded for Jamaica.
Agricultural losses were particularly severe, with Jamaica reporting roughly 41,390 hectares of farmland affected and over 70,000 farmers suffering losses. The coffee sector sustained damage to approximately 40 percent of trees with an estimated 45 percent loss in production valued at $833.8 million. More than 1.25 million animals perished, including poultry, livestock, and aquaculture stock.
A Historic Storm
Melissa’s place alongside Hurricane Allen in the record books underscores the extreme power that modern hurricanes can achieve. While the 1980 Atlantic hurricane season produced Allen, nearly 46 years passed before another Atlantic hurricane would match that fearsome intensity. Melissa’s rapid intensification over exceptionally warm ocean waters and its slow initial motion allowed it to reach and maintain Category 5 strength, with devastating consequences for millions across the Caribbean region.
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