Hurricane Melissa Maximum Sustained Winds Increased to 185 Mph

Posted on October 28, 2025

Hurricane Melissa is poised to be a historic and devastating hurricane for Jamaica. The latest update from the NHC the maximum sustained winds at 185 mph and minimum central pressure at 892 mb. This comes as Melissa is just 45 miles (70 kilometers) SSE of Negril, Jamaica.

Here is the latest warning from the NHC

…CATASTROPHIC WINDS MOVING ONSHORE SOUTHERN JAMAICA…

…LAST CHANCE TO PROTECT YOUR LIFE…

…1000 AM EDT POSITION UPDATE…

THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION! TAKE
COVER NOW! Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious
injury, and loss of life. Residents in Jamaica that experience the
eye should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase
within the backside of the eyewall of Melissa.

To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as
many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room
without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees,
is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself
with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection.

In addition to the strong winds and life-threatening storm surge, the slow moving hurricane will also drop tons of rain. Extreme rainfall totals of up to 40 inches of rain are possible.

Image: NOAA