A new report from the National Hurricane Center states that Hurricane Melissa reached 190 mph sustained winds, tying it for the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded.
The National Hurricane Center released its final report on Hurricane Melissa, which devastated Jamaica in October 2025. In the updated findings, officials increased the maximum sustained winds measured by reconnaissance aircraft from 185 mph to 190 mph. However, the wind speed at landfall in Jamaica remained 185 mph.
With this update, Hurricane Melissa now ties with Hurricane Allen for the strongest winds ever recorded in an Atlantic hurricane.
Hurricane Allen did not make landfall in the Caribbean but caused high winds and flooding that killed more than 220 people in Haiti. The storm later made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane near the Texas-Mexico border.
Meteorologists also measure hurricane strength by central pressure, or the atmospheric pressure at the center of the eye. At peak intensity, Melissa’s pressure dropped to 26.34 inches of mercury (892 millibars), tying with the Labor Day Hurricane as the third-most intense Atlantic hurricane ever observed. That figure remained unchanged in the final report.
Kingston avoided the worst impacts, but western regions of Jamaica experienced “total devastation.” The storm made a second landfall near Chivirico, Cuba, on Oct. 22 as a Category 3 hurricane. Melissa also triggered severe flooding in Haiti, where localized areas recorded more than 35 inches of rain.
Hurricane Melissa also set a record for the strongest wind gust ever measured by reconnaissance aircraft, which officials confirmed in November 2025.
The National Hurricane Center estimates that the storm killed 95 people — 45 in Jamaica, 43 in Haiti and seven elsewhere. In Jamaica alone, officials estimate that 1.25 million farm animals died.
AccuWeather estimated Hurricane Melissa’s total damage and economic losses at between $48 billion and $52 billion.
Leave a Comment