Chicago – October 29, 2025
The historic storm, dubbed the ‘storm of the century’, is now barrelling towards Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane.
The weather system struck the island as a Category 5 storm, making landfall at 2pm local time, with footage showing downed power lines and piles of debris.
It comes amid reports the roof was “peeled” off a hospital on the island, with the number of injured currently unclear.
The storm picked up pace as it crossed the Caribbean, fuelled by warm ocean waters, with extensive damage reported across parts of Clarendon in southern Jamaica and in the southwestern parish of St. Elizabeth.
Medical facilities in Black River, Jamaica, have also reportedly been destroyed, with information thin on the ground after mass power outages, flooding and a lack of internet connectivity.
Thousands of Brits remain stranded on the island, amid criticism of the UK government response.
The National Hurricane Center confirmed on Wednesday that Melissa had been upgraded from a Category 3 storm to a Category 4 storm after it had weakened after making landfall in Jamaica.
