Deadly Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight and was churning out to sea on Wednesday as a Category 2 storm as authorities in Jamaica began surveying the extensive damage left in its wake as the strongest tropical cyclone of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season.

Melissa reached Jamaica as an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane, the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, bringing damaging winds, catastrophic flash flooding and landslides across Jamaica on Tuesday. The storm caused widespread infrastructure damage, including power and communication outages that left hundreds of thousands of residents in the dark.

At least one death was reported in Jamaica during the storm, the Associated Press reported Wednesday. A tree fell on a baby in the island nation’s west, Abka Fitz-Henley, a state minister, told Nationwide News Network, a local radio station, adding that most of the destruction was concentrated in the southwest and northwest.

Jamaican officials said that there is a "total communication blackout" on the southwestern and northwestern parts of the island, the regions which took the brunt of Melissa's wrath Tuesday, AccuWeather said.

At least seven were killed across the Caribbean as the storm made its approach toward Jamaica.

The winds, which topped 185 mph on the island, were "like a roaring lion," retiree Colin Henry McDonald told Reuters as the storm approached. "It's mad. Really mad."

Parishes across Jamaica reported heavy floodwaters, blocked roads and fallen trees and utility poles, according to Desmond McKenzie, the island's minister of local government and community development. The parish of St. Elizabeth was submerged by flooding, and its only public hospital lost power and reported severe damage to one of its buildings.

The International Federation of the Red Cross previously said up to 1.5 million people in Jamaica were expected to be directly affected by the storm. About 15,000 people were in temporary shelters by late Tuesday, according to McKenzie. The government had issued mandatory evacuation orders for around 28,000 people.

After making landfall in Jamaica, the hurricane weakened as it churned toward eastern Cuba before restrengthening into a powerful Category 4, according to the National Hurricane Center. It made landfall at about 3:10 a.m. ET Wednesday in the Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba as a Category 3 storm, the hurricane center said.

As of 11 a.m., its maximum sustained winds were 100 mph, making it a Category 2 storm as it moves past Cuba out into the Atlantic Ocean.

Melissa is expected to sweep across the southeastern and central Bahamas later in the day before passing near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday.

At least 8 dead in Hurricane Melissa's wake, too early for full count

In the days leading up to its landfall, the storm was blamed for at least seven deaths across the Caribbean, including three each in Jamaica in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

Authorities in Jamaica said it is too soon to give an accurate count of how many more people may have died during Hurricane Melissa, in addition to the one infant's death.

Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Cuba

Melissa restrengthened to a Category 4 hurricane as it approached Cuba and made landfall as a Category 3 storm, the hurricane center said.

A hurricane warning remained in effect Wednesday morning for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin, and Las Tunas, as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas.

More than 735,000 people were evacuated in Cuba by Tuesday night, Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel said in a social media post. In the Bahamas, next in Melissa's path to the northeast, the government ordered evacuations of residents in southern portions of that archipelago.

"There will be a lot of work to do. We know that this cyclone will cause significant damage," Diaz-Canel said in a message published in the state newspaper Granma.

Jamaican authorities assess ‘devastating’ impacts from Hurricane Melissa

Officials said while they were still working to assess the damage across Jamaica on Oct. 29, it’s clear Hurricane Melissa ravaged much of the western part of the country.

“It looks really, really difficult in many parts of Jamaica,” said Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister at a news conference. “The images we’re getting are really devastating.”

She said the storm’s historic arrival was “extremely difficult for a lot of people” and that authorities were working to restore communication services so families could connect with their loved ones.

“We are a strong people, we are resilient people, and we will get through it together,” she said.

77% of Jamaica still without power as recovery begins

The process of assessing the damage and restoring services in has begun, but Jamaican officials said they were not yet able to share estimates of the number of deaths or total damage done to the island.

Dana Morris Dixon, minister of education, skills, youth and information, said 77% of the country is still without power, but the government has issued an “all clear” notice, meaning utility companies can began restoration and recovery efforts.

A limited portion of the Jamaica's water infrastructure was affected, and telecoms providers are working with Starlink to get residents back online, she said. Officials are surveying the damage to the country’s hospitals, schools and airports.

Dixon encouraged supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies in the areas that were least affected to reopen and urged Jamaicans to exercise while on the roads, particularly those blocked by downed power lines and floodwaters.Shelters have taken in more than 25,000 Jamaicans and will remain open all week, according to Desmond McKenzie, minister of local government and community development.

Amid the chaos of the storm, which left parts of Montego Bay under 16 feet of water, at least one baby was delivered, McKenzie said. “Despite our challenges, we rise to the occasion,” McKenzie said.

– N'dea Yancey-Bragg

Jamaica could experience more flooding as Melissa churns northward

Evan Thompson, the principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service, said though Hurricane Melissa has moved north of Jamaica, more rain and gusty winds are expected.

“We are still in an unstable situation,” he said at a news conference on Oct. 29.

A flash flood watch was in effect, primarily for northern Jamaica.

Thompson said the meteorological service is working to determine where the heaviest rain fell and where the highest wind speeds were recorded.

– Christopher Cann

‘Everything was flying’: American recounts sheltering from Hurricane Melissa

As Hurricane Melissa barreled across Jamaica, Janaya Herring and her family huddled in the living room of their Airbnb in a mountainous part of St. Ann Parish.

The storm’s fierce winds hurled outdoor furniture hundreds of feet away as rain came in under the doors and through cracks in the windows. The home’s power and water service was knocked out. And a tree in the backyard fell within inches of the house.

“It sounded like it was going to tear the roof off,” Herring told USA TODAY, describing the storm’s winds. “Everything was flying.”

Herring, 45, from Montgomery, Alabama, was in Jamaica for her brother’s wedding last weekend and, along with several of her relatives, was stranded on the island when her flight was canceled. She plans to return home on Friday and will have to make do with the food and water she stocked in the Airbnb until then.

“This was my first time out of the states,” said Herring, a hair stylist. “I was scared before, and now I don’t think I’ll ever be leaving again.”

– Christopher Cann

President Trump, Miami Heat, others pledge support to Jamaica amid Hurricane Melissa

In preparation for Melissa, the Jamaican government called for foreign aid. On Monday, Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew said the government had an emergency budget of $33 million and insurance and credit provisions for damages.

President Donald Trump spoke to reporters on Air Force One en route to Gyeongju, South Korea, and said they were monitoring the situation closely and would be prepared to offer humanitarian assistance to Jamaica. "We're prepared to move," the president said.

He expressed surprise at Melissa's high winds. "I've never seen numbers like that. I saw it a little while ago. 195 mile an hour wind," he said. "I guess it can get that high, but I've never seen it."

Hours before its Tuesday game against the Charlotte Hornets, the Miami Heat announced that, in partnership with the Micky and Madeleine Arison Family Foundation and Carnival Cruise Line, it would make a $1 million donation to assist with recovery efforts following the hurricane.

World Central Kitchen, a nonprofit organization that provides food relief, said in a statement that it was in Jamaica ahead of the landfall and was "working with local partners to begin serving meals as quickly as possible to families impacted by the storm."

Travelers stranded in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa hits

Honeymooners Tiera Coleman and Laquon Triplett have already had two return flights home to Milwaukee canceled because of Hurricane Melissa.

As of Tuesday, the couple said they are waiting out in their room at a resort about 40 minutes from Montego Bay. The resort was being powered by generators, with limited food available to guests. The newlyweds are working out how to get back home to Milwaukee, with Coleman telling USA TODAY their best hope is the end of the week if the roads are clear.

"There have been loud bangs on the ceiling, and our doors are shaking," Coleman said. "Most of the palm trees are down, and some parts of the resort property are damaged."

Their experience is similar to the many other travelers stranded in the beloved Caribbean destination, seeking shelter and safety as their return home remains in flux. Read more.

– Kathleen Wong

Hurricane Melissa likely caused billions in damage to Jamaica: AccuWeather

The damage and destruction in Jamaica is estimated at $22 billion, according to a preliminary analysis by AccuWeather.

The estimate accounts for damage to homes and businesses, disruptions to the economy and tourism and other losses due to extended power outages, travel delays and infrastructure, the outlet said.

Recovery efforts may be dangerous and lengthy, with residents and tourists stranded for an extended time, said Alex DaSilva, lead hurricane expert at AccuWeather.

"This was a historic and devastating storm for the western Caribbean. The recovery and rebuilding process after a direct hit from a Category 5 storm could take a decade or longer," he said.

Contributing: Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane Melissa barrels over Cuba after hammering Jamaica; death toll rises: Updates

Reporting by Thao Nguyen, Dinah Voyles Pulver, Jeanine Santucci, Doyle Rice and Christopher Cann, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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