Hurricane Melissa Slams Jamaica With Historic Category 5 Force: Landfall Timing, Damage Snapshot, and What’s Next

Hurricane Melissa delivered a historic strike on Tuesday, Oct. 28, making landfall on Jamaica’s southwest coast near New Hope around midday local time as a Category 5 hurricane. The compact but ferocious eyewall brought catastrophic winds, destructive storm surge, and extreme rainfall, with the slow-moving core dragging severe conditions across multiple parishes through the afternoon and evening. As of the latest updates, the eye has moved away from the island, but life-threatening flooding, landslides, and wraparound squalls continue.

Where and when Hurricane Melissa hit Jamaica

• Landfall: Near New Hope (St. Elizabeth) around 12:00 p.m. local time on Oct. 28.

• Peak intensity at landfall: Category 5; wind and pressure readings place this among the strongest Atlantic landfalls on record.

• Track across the island: A slow south-to-north passage exposed St. Elizabeth, Manchester, Westmoreland, St. James, and Trelawny to prolonged eyewall conditions, with severe bands spreading into Clarendon, St. Catherine, Kingston & St. Andrew, then St. Ann, St. Mary, Portland, and St. Thomas later in the day.

Small wobbles in track shifted the zone of worst destruction by parish, but the storm’s large moisture envelope ensured island-wide impacts.

What’s happening now across Jamaica

• Wind damage: Roof failures, shattered glazing, and downed concrete poles in the landfall corridor and along the storm’s inland path. Debris remains airborne in stronger squalls; avoid travel.

• Storm surge & coastal flooding: Rapid seawater rise on the south coast near and east of landfall, with a secondary surge setup along parts of the north coast as winds shifted during the core’s exit.

• Extreme rainfall & landslides: Multi-inch-per-hour downpours over steep terrain triggered flash flooding and slope failures. River crests are lagging the wind; some basins will peak hours after the center has moved away.

• Power & communications: Wide outages reported. Restoration will be constrained by blocked roads and damaged transmission corridors, especially in interior parishes.

Parish-by-parish timing recap (approximate)

• St. Elizabeth / Manchester: Peak winds and surge late morning–early afternoon, then flood-dominated hazards into the evening.

• Westmoreland / St. James / Hanover: Eyewall and severe bands early–mid afternoon; coastal runup and structural damage reported.

• Trelawny / St. Ann: Mid–late afternoon peak; rivers and gullies rising into the evening.

• Clarendon / St. Catherine / Kingston & St. Andrew: Violent squalls from late morning through afternoon; any midday calm likely marked the eye, not an all-clear.

• St. Mary / Portland / St. Thomas: Strongest bands afternoon into night, with increasing landslide risk after dark.

Government response and public guidance

Shelters are open nationwide; airports and major ports remain closed pending inspections. Emergency services caution that rescues may pause during dangerous wind periods and resume as conditions permit. Residents should remain sheltered until authorities issue an all-clear, avoid floodwaters, and treat downed lines as energized. Generators must be used outdoors only, well away from openings.

Why Melissa was so destructive over Jamaica

Three dynamics aligned for a worst-case impact:

1. Rapid intensification over exceptionally warm waters tightened the eyewall just before landfall.

2. Slow forward speed prolonged eyewall exposure and repeated squalls over the same parishes.

3. Orographic lift from Jamaica’s mountains wrung out extreme rainfall, while surge at the coast blocked river outflow, producing compound flooding.

What to expect in the next 24–72 hours

• 0–24 hours: Search and rescue where winds have eased; triage of hospitals, water systems, and transportation arteries. Expect bridge closures and washouts in interior corridors.

• 24–48 hours: Primary road clearance between parish hubs; backbone power restoration begins, followed by neighborhood circuits as access improves.

• 48–72 hours: Broader assessments of agriculture (bananas, sugar, smallholder plots) and tourism infrastructure along exposed coasts; targeted aid deployments as air and sea access stabilize.

Track beyond Jamaica

Melissa remains a major hurricane as it moves toward eastern Cuba and then the southeastern Bahamas/Turks and Caicos. Intensity fluctuations are likely with land interaction, but the storm’s size means regional impacts will be widespread—dangerous surf, surge in vulnerable bays, and torrent-driven flooding far from the center.

Hurricane Melissa has already delivered a historic Category 5 landfall on Jamaica, initiating a multi-day emergency. Even as the center moves away, flooding, landslides, and hazardous squalls persist. Stay sheltered until officials declare it safe, avoid travel across inundated routes, and conserve power and communications. Figures on damage and casualties will evolve as access improves; the immediate priority is safety during the ongoing aftermath.