Hurricane Melissa bears down on Jamaica in this satellite image from 6:45 a.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2026.
Hurricane Melissa forecast as of Tuesday morning, Oct. 28, 2025.

Editor's Note: For the latest news on Melissa, see the USA TODAY Network's live coverage for Tuesday, Oct. 28.

With all its might, Hurricane Melissa slammed into Jamaica on Tuesday, Oct. 28, causing life-threatening flooding and leaving much of the Caribbean island without power.

About 1 p.m. ET, the cyclone made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane near the southern coast of the country with peak sustained winds of about 185 mph with gusts to nearly 225 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Landfall officially occurs once at least half of the system's eye is over land, CNN reported.

The northern part of Melissa's eyewall was moving ashore in areas like Black River and Barbary Hall, Michael Brennan, the hurricane center's director, said in an earlier 11:15 a.m. ET update.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses on the island were without power at midday, according to Jamaica Public Service.

The hurricane, anticipated to leave a wake of destruction across the island before focusing its ferocity on southeastern Cuba, could potentially be the country's worst storm in recorded history

Torrential downpours could produce 15 to 30 inches of rain, with as much as 40 inches of rain possible in isolated locations, according to the NHC, and also expected to contribute to deadly landslides in the island's mountainous terrain.

Photos, including some social media posts, captured capsized boats, water-logged vessels, downed utility poles and more damage along the island's coast.

It was not immediately known whether any deaths or damage to major infrastructure were reported.

Here are photos of Jamaica preparing for Hurricane Melissa before it made landfall.

Photos of Hurricane Melissa approaching landfall

Contributing: Dinah Voyles Pulver and Thao Nguyen

Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Photos show Jamaica preparing for Hurricane Melissa prior to landfall

Reporting by Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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