When a hurricane like Storm Melissa hits, it leaves more than damage behind. It changes maps, rewrites plans, and alters the rhythm of entire regions. Over just a few days, Melissa carved a long S-shape across the Caribbean. From its violent landfall in Jamaica to its fast push toward Bermuda, the storm never let up. Now, as the winds quiet and skies begin to clear, what’s left behind tells the real story. In this blog post, we look at how it formed, where it hit hardest, and what comes next. If you’ve been tracking storm Melissa, here’s what you need to know, explained in simple terms.
The strongest hurricane to ever hit Jamaica
It began like many others. A warm patch of sea. A spinning system in the tropics. But storm Melissa had everything in its favor. The sea surface temperatures were unusually hot for October. Wind shear, which can tear hurricanes apart, stayed low. The storm’s eye formed cleanly. Its core stayed compact. Within hours, Melissa strengthened faster than most storms ever do. Then it charged straight toward Jamaica.
On Tuesday, Jamaica faced what meteorologists now confirm was the strongest hurricane landfall in the island’s recorded history. Sustained winds reached 185 miles per hour. The south coast took the worst of it. Black River, in St. Elizabeth Parish, experienced what local officials called a wall of water. A 16-foot storm surge pushed through the estuary and left boats lying in roads, homes torn open, and city blocks drowned in mud. It wasn’t just the wind. The surge and inland flooding created a mix of disasters all at once.
By the time the eye passed, over 75% of the island was without power. Many communities were cut off completely. Roads collapsed. Bridges vanished under floodwater. In the highlands, landslides carved into hillsides and carried trees and homes with them. Days later, the scars are still visible in every parish from the south coast to the north.
Even so, by Thursday, Jamaica’s government issued an “all clear.” It meant the storm had passed. But the danger didn’t fully disappear. With debris everywhere and floodwaters slow to drain, the recovery phase remains complex. Hospitals need fuel. Clinics need clean water. Relief flights started landing again in Montego Bay, Kingston, and Norman Manley International, bringing supplies from the US and other Caribbean nations.
Tourists stranded in hotels began flying out again as commercial flights resumed slowly. Airlines warned of delays. Crews worked to reopen terminals and restore operations. Many travelers were stuck for days, with some hotels running on backup generators.
A regional storm with wide-reaching impact
Melissa didn’t stop at Jamaica. Its path pulled it into eastern Cuba and over the Bahamas before aiming northeast toward Bermuda. In Cuba, over 300,000 people evacuated from exposed coastal towns. The island’s eastern provinces saw widespread blackouts, downed power lines, and treefalls. Roads flooded. Hills failed. Towns that had prepared still found themselves facing the raw strength of water, even without a direct hit.
In Haiti and the Dominican Republic, even the outer bands caused deadly flash floods. Melissa’s moisture fed long-lasting rain. Rivers swelled. Mudslides followed. Reports now estimate the regional death toll at over 40. Most of those lives were lost before the hurricane even touched Jamaica. Small towns in the Dominican Republic and rural Haiti were caught off guard as backcountry bridges crumbled and homes were swept away overnight.
The Bahamas saw another side of storm Melissa. Winds came in strong but fast. Islands like Inagua and Exuma experienced severe gusts and heavy rain. Roads washed out. Some docks disappeared under waves. Luckily, the worst passed offshore.
Then came Bermuda. By Thursday evening, the hurricane’s core passed about 260 miles to the west southwest of the island. But even at that distance, Melissa’s impact reached the shores. The Bermuda Weather Service warned of hurricane-force gusts, crashing waves, and coastal flooding. Residents were told to stay home. Tourists were advised to shelter indoors and monitor alerts. Ferry services paused. Power flickered. Fortunately, the island was spared a direct hit, but Melissa’s size meant high surf and gusty winds still brought disruption.
A warning for the future, not just a weather story
Storm Melissa wasn’t just another storm. It was a signal. A sign of how quickly a system can turn violent when the ocean is warm and atmospheric conditions align. Scientists point out that late season storms are now showing traits that used to be rare. Melissa developed deep convection, explosive strength, and hurricane force winds farther into autumn than what was once considered normal.
For the Caribbean, this means rethinking preparedness. When a Category 5 storm like Melissa targets a mountainous island, rainfall totals climb higher than models often predict. Mountains wring extra moisture out of the storm clouds. That extra water triggers landslides. In places like Black River, river mouths funnel storm surge straight into neighborhoods. Add in a lack of drainage, and the damage multiplies quickly.
As of now, search and rescue teams are still checking remote areas. Damage assessments are just beginning. Some roads in St. Elizabeth and Manchester remain closed. Aid groups and UN agencies have started shipping in medical kits, water tanks, and food parcels. Many families in low-lying fishing villages lost everything. Across Jamaica, farmers face destroyed crops. Fishermen lost boats. Recovery will take months.
In Cuba, the recovery is more fragmented. Transport lines are blocked. Cell towers were knocked out. Reports from Guantánamo and Santiago de Cuba show moderate to severe damage. Still, Cuba’s early evacuations likely saved lives.
Meanwhile, relief workers in Haiti are focusing on food and clean water. The already fragile state of many roads and hospitals makes rebuilding slow. Nonprofits on the ground warn that post-storm health crises are possible due to waterborne illness.
In the Bahamas, damage appears more limited. Still, local economies in the southern islands will feel the strain. Tourism disruptions, even short-term, hit hard. Cleanup is ongoing.
For Bermuda, the next 24 hours remain tense. Power lines are vulnerable. Wave heights are expected to stay high into Friday morning. Coastal flooding and salt spray could damage infrastructure even without a landfall.
Melissa reminded everyone that late October doesn’t mean hurricane season is over. This storm formed fast, got strong even faster, and maintained dangerous intensity through several countries. Jamaica faced a direct, brutal landfall. Cuba, Haiti, the Dominican Republic, the Bahamas, and Bermuda all experienced ripple effects. This wasn’t a narrow disaster. It was a sweeping, multi-nation event.
The numbers may change, but one thing is clear. Storm Melissa has earned its place in the record books. What comes next will be defined not just by rebuilding, but by how governments, scientists, and local communities plan for the next one. Because in a world where sea surface temperatures keep rising, storms like Melissa may become less rare, and more expected.
Let’s hope not. But let’s prepare as if they will.
