Update: October 30, 2025, at 10:05 a.m. ET
Hurricane Melissa is heading toward Bermuda on Thursday after devastating Jamaica and other islands in the Caribbean, leaving a devastating
path of destruction in its wake.
According to Weather.com,
emergency relief flights are operating at Jamaica’s main international airport,
which reopened late Wednesday, as crews distributed water, food and other basic
supplies.
*This article will no longer be updated. Please check out
how travel companies are helping
impacted areas.
Update: October 29, 2025, at 2:55 p.m. ET
After making landfall in Jamaica as one of the most powerful storms in history, Hurricane Melissa moved through Cuba on Wednesday. The heavy rain, high winds, and storm surge were still being felt in Turks and Caicos and the Bahamas, according to Weather.com.
Government officials in Jamaica said the plan is to open Norman Manley International Airport for relief flights on October 29, with regular flights resuming on Friday or Saturday. They did not reveal a timeline for the reopening of Sangster International
Airport in Montego Bay, St James.
In response to the devastation of Hurricane Melissa, the Carnival Corporation, the Micky & Madeleine Arison Family Foundation, and Holland America are making donations to Direct Relief, a global humanitarian nonprofit that provides emergency medical assistance
and disaster relief to those in need. Direct Relief has already begun its plans to help people impacted in Jamaica.
Update: October 29, 2025, at 8:25 a.m. ET
After making landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, Hurricane Melissa has made landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm, bringing heavy rain, high winds, and storm surge to the Caribbean nation.
According to the National
Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, as a Category 5 with winds of 185 mph and a pressure of 892 millibars, making it one of the most powerful storms in recorded history.
Airlines serving the region have already jumped into action, issuing travel advisories and waiving change fees for impacted travelers, as well as planning extra flights to assist with evacuations when airports in Jamaica reopen.
The major cruise lines serving the region have altered itineraries in recent days to avoid the path of Melissa, including Carnival Cruise Line, Disney Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International.
Update: October 28, 2025, at 1:58 p.m. ET
Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane on Tuesday afternoon, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) calling the storm one of the most powerful on record.
According to the National
Hurricane Center, Melissa struck the Caribbean island nation with maximum sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and a pressure of 892 mb, making it one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded.
The travel industry stands ready to support Jamaica in the aftermath of the storm.
Update: October 28, 2025, at 7:55 a.m. ET
The travel industry is avoiding Jamaica this week as Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall on the popular island destination as a Category 5 storm on Tuesday afternoon.
According to the National
Hurricane Center, hurricane-force winds are expected to impact the island throughout the day, with storm surge of 9 to 13 feet forecast. Melissa is also expected to dump 15 to 30 inches of rain, which could result in catastrophic flash flooding and
landslides.
Once the hurricane passes Jamaica, it is forecast to impact Southeast Cuba on Tuesday through Wednesday morning, with the Turks and Caicos Islands feeling the effects throughout Wednesday.
Melissa is expected to remain a hurricane as it passes near Bermuda on Friday morning.
Major cruise lines serving the impacted portions of the Caribbean Sea have started to make itinerary changes, including Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, and Royal Caribbean International.
In addition, Jamaica has shuttered its main airports as the storm approaches, resulting in carriers in the United States that serve the popular destination issuing travel advisories, waiving change fees, and canceling flights for impacted travelers.
Update: October 27, 2025, at 3:20 p.m. ET
Hurricane Melissa formed into the strongest hurricane on Earth in 2025 on Monday
as it takes aim at Jamaica.
Although resilient in the wake of devastating hurricanes in recent years, the popular
tourist destination is facing a potentially catastrophic next few hours as it braces for the strongest storm since record-keeping began in 1851.
Packing sustained winds of 175 mph, the Category 5 storm has already resulted in multiple deaths in the Caribbean and has prompted mandatory evacuations across the region, with officials in Jamaica predicting some 50,000 people will be relocated as a
result of intense winds and flooding.
A spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said officials continue to "closely monitor" Hurricane Melissa and "evaluate the need to send assistance."
"We have the ability to provide life-saving assistance to affected countries and people across
the globe when it is in the interest of the United States," the spokesperson said. "The decision to deploy additional capability will not be made until a need is identified."
With airports and cruise ports shuttered as officials embrace emergency protocols and open storm shelters, flights, cruises and other travel within the region will continue to be heavily impacted or altered as the storm nears Jamaica ahead of a what's
expected to be a devastating landfall.
"Our Fleet Operations Center in Miami is closely monitoring forecasts for Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean and we are keeping our partner islands, in potential harm's way, in our thoughts," Carnival Cruise Line said in a statement on Monday. "Given
the storm’s forecasted path over the next few days, we have revised itineraries as follows:"
- Carnival Liberty’s visits to Montego Bay on Oct. 29, and Grand Cayman on Oct.30, have been replaced with calls on Mahogany Bay (Honduras) and Belize.
- Carnival Celebration’s visits to both Grand Turk on Oct. 28, and Amber Cove on Oct. 29, have been cancelled and we have secured a call on Cozumel, Mexico.
- Carnival Dream’s visit to Montego Bay on Oct. 29 has been cancelled.
- Carnival Sunrise’s visit to Grand Turk on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau.
- Carnival Vista’s visit to Amber Cove on Oct. 30 has been replaced with a stop in Nassau.
"Safety is our priority, and we continue to track conditions carefully, factoring in guidance from the National Hurricane Center, U.S. Coast Guard, and local port authorities to provide timely updates. Guests on upcoming sailings are encouraged to opt-in
for sailing alerts via Cruise Manager on Carnival.com and monitor their emails for potential updates from Carnival."
Update: October 27, 2025, at 8:05 a.m. ET
On Monday, Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm that was heading toward Jamaica.
According to the National
Hurricane Center (NHC), islands on Melissa’s path through the Caribbean Sea will be hit with torrential rainfall, with Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic receiving as much as 15-30 inches of rain.
Local officials are warning that the massive influx of rain and wind could result in deadly flash flooding and landslides. Between Midday Monday and midday Tuesday is expected to be the most destructive, with the hurricane moving past the islands by Wednesday
morning.
Current projections have the storm staying out at sea as it moves along the East Coast of the United States later this week, but coastal areas will still feel the impact of the high winds and heavy rain associated with the storm.
As cruise lines prepare to make changes to avoid sailing through the impacted area, all airports in Jamaica were closed on Sunday ahead of the hurricane’s landfall, according to the island’s transportation minister.
Hurricane Melissa has rapidly intensified into a powerful
Category 4 storm, packing winds of 140 miles per hour, bringing torrential rain and potentially catastrophic flooding to parts of the northern Caribbean. According to
AP News
, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned Sunday that the system could even strengthen to a Category 5 before reaching
Jamaica’s southern coast late Monday or early Tuesday.
Forecasters are sounding the alarm for residents and travelers in the region, particularly in Jamaica, where the storm’s slow pace and heavy rainfall could spell disaster.
“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” said Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the NHC. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”
A Slow but Destructive Storm
As of Sunday morning, Melissa was located roughly 110 miles south-southeast of the capital city of Kingston and moving west at a sluggish 3 mph. While the storm’s sluggish speed might sound like good news, meteorologists say the slow movement actually
increases the danger, giving the system more time to dump devastating rain over the same areas.
Forecasters expect Jamaica and southern Hispaniola — the island that encompasses both Haiti and the Dominican
Republic — to receive up to 30 inches of rain, with some spots potentially even seeing a staggering 40 inches. The NHC warned that the deluge will likely cause widespread infrastructural damage, power and communication blackouts, and the potential
isolation of entire communities in Jamaica.
Airports Close, Shelters Open
The nation’s largest airport, Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston, shut
down late Saturday night, followed by Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport, which closed at midday Sunday.
Jamaica’s national emergency agency, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), has already activated its Level 3 protocol and all National Response Team members remain at the ready.
“There is nowhere that will escape the wrath of this hurricane,” cautioned Richard Thompson, ODPEM’S acting director general.
Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, emphasized the storm’s dangerous persistence. “With the slow movement of this system, it doesn’t allow you to recover. It’s going to sit there, pouring water while it’s barely
moving and that is a significant challenge that we have to be aware of,” he said.
More than 650 shelters have been opened across Jamaica, and the government says warehouses are stocked with emergency supplies and thousands of food packages ready for distribution.
Fatalities Reported, More Impacts Expected
Melissa’s path has already turned deadly. Officials say at least three people have been killed in Haiti and another in the Dominican Republic, with one person still missing.
The storm is forecast to move near or over Cuba by late Tuesday, dropping up to 12 inches of rain before continuing north toward The Bahamas later in the week.
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