Melissa strengthens to a Category 5 hurricane as it nears Jamaica

Clouds cover Kingston, Jamaica, ahead of the forecast arrival of Hurricane Melissa (Matias Delacroix/AP)

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength on Monday as it neared Jamaica.

Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island on Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.

Melissa was centred about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 315 miles south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said.

10/27 5am EDT: #Melissa has strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane with 160 mph winds and a 917 mb central pressure, confirmed by the Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunters. Conditions in #Jamaica will rapidly deteriorate later today and tonight. Here are the key messages:

See… pic.twitter.com/pMRRQdyOqU

— National Hurricane Center (@NHC_Atlantic) October 27, 2025

It had maximum sustained winds of 160mph and was moving west at 3mph, the centre said.

Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph.

Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history to directly hit the small Caribbean nation.