The death toll from Hurricane Melissa is growing as the powerful storm moves across the Bahamas after leaving a trail of “catastrophic” destruction across Jamaica and parts of Cuba.
Authorities in Haiti said that at least 25 people, including children, have been killed. In Jamaica, at least eight people have been killed. One death has also been reported in the Dominican Republic. That would bring the current known death toll from the hurricane to 34 across the Caribbean.
It’s expected that the extent of Hurricane Melissa’s damage will be clearer in the coming days as authorities work to reach the hardest-hit areas.
Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated to shelters ahead of the arrival of the “extremely dangerous” storm, with a hurricane warning put in place for Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas.
Hurricane Melissa was a Category 5 storm at its peak, and one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. Now, it has been downgraded to a Category 1 storm with 90 mph winds, according to the National Hurricane Center.
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Key Points
- Hurricane Melissa death toll surpasses 30
- Hurricane Melissa to hit the Bahamas later Wednesday
- In pictures: Hurricane Melissa aftermath in Jamaica
- Hurricane Melissa mapped: Follow the path of the 'world's worst storm' this year
The deadly combination that made Hurricane Melissa so devastating
03:00
,
James C. Reynolds
Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Cuba early on Wednesday after devastating swathes of Jamaica with violent 185mph winds.
Experts say that the storm’s powerful winds and its slow pace, likely exacerbated by climate change, have allowed a huge hurricane to linger in the region for maximum damage.
Keep reading:
Hurricane Melissa battering Bahamas with 'damaging winds and flooding rains'
02:56
,
Shweta Sharma
Hurricane Melissa is currently pounding the Bahamas with "damaging winds, flooding rains, and a dangerous storm surge", the National Hurricane Center said.
Melissa is expected to continue to move across the southeastern or central Bahamas this evening, and is forecast to pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night, it said.
Dozens of people have already been evacuated from the archipelago’s southeast corner, where conditions have rapidly deteriorated amid widespread power outages and communications breakdowns.
Mapped: Hurricane Melissa's forecasted path
02:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Hurricane Melissa is forecasted to continue moving across the Bahamas on Wednesday evening and pass near Bermuda late Thursday, the National Hurricane Center said.
See the storm’s path below:
Towns underwater, 185mph winds and half a million without power: Hurricane Melissa’s path of destruction devastates Jamaica
02:00
,
Maryam Zakir-Hussain
The world’s strongest storm of the year has torn through Jamaica with 185mph winds and flash flooding, causing widespread devastation.
Whole towns have been left underwater, one of the island’s airports has been flooded, and more than half a million people are without power. Tens of thousands of tourists remain stranded, including 8,000 Britons, with thousands of locals in shelters.
Footage of the damage to the airport in Montego Bay showed seating areas ripped up, broken glass and collapsed ceilings after the category 5 storm hit. Four hospitals were damaged, at least one with its roof torn off, trees were uprooted, and roads were deluged overnight.
Keep reading:
Moment Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba captured in satellite imagery
01:40
,
Katie Hawkinson
'People have lost everything,' Haiti resident says
01:20
,
Katie Hawkinson
Charly Saint-Vil, a 30-year-old resident of Petit-Goâve, Haiti, told the Associated Press that “people have lost everything.”
Hurricane Melissa killed at least 20 people, including children, in Saint-Vil’s hometown. Haitian officials have reported at least 25 deaths overall.
Saint-Vil explained that he’s hosting several people who lost their homes in the storm.
“What I can do, I will do it, but it’s not easy because the situation is really complicated for everyone,” he said.
Video: Aerial footage shows devastating extent of Hurricane Melissa's destruction
01:00
,
Katie Hawkinson
In pictures: Hurricane Melissa floods homes in Cuba
00:40
,
Katie Hawkinson
What watches and warnings are in effect?
00:20
,
Katie Hawkinson
As of Wednesday at 8 p.m., a Hurricane Warning is in effect for:
- Southeastern and Central Bahamas
- Bermuda
A Tropical Storm Warning is in effect for:
- Turks and Caicos Islands
The National Hurricane Center has warned that residents in the Bahamas should remain sheltered, and that preparations in Bermuda should be completed before tropical-storm-force winds arrive.
Forecasters release update as Hurricane Melissa moves across the Bahamas
00:03
,
Katie Hawkinson
Hurricane Melissa is moving across the Bahamas as a Category 1 storm with 90 mph winds this evening, according to an 8 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.
“On the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to continue to move across the southeastern or central Bahamas this evening, and is forecast to pass near or to the west of Bermuda late Thursday and Thursday night,” the agency said.
The storm is expected to restrengthen this evening, before weakening again tomorrow.
Hurricane Melissa death toll surpasses 30
Wednesday 29 October 2025 23:45
,
Katie Hawkinson
The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has reached at least 34, according to the latest counts from local officials.
At least 25 people, including children, have been killed in Haiti, local officials said on Wednesday night. At least eight people have also been killed in Jamaica, and one death was reported in the Dominican Republic.
Hurricane Melissa kills at least 25 people in Haiti
Wednesday 29 October 2025 23:30
,
Katie Hawkinson
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency said Wednesday that at least 25 people, including at least ten children, have died and 18 people are missing, the Associated Press reports.
Twenty of the deaths happened in Petit-Goâve, where an overflowing river caused widespread flooding, the agency said.
Reminder: Hurricane Melissa a record storm for Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 23:16
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa was the strongest storm to hit Jamaica since record-keeping began 174 years ago.
It tore off roofs and caused fallen trees, landslides and heavy flooding, resulting in at least eight deaths.
As of Wednesday, more than 25,000 people were packed into shelters, and the country’s education minister said 77 percent of the island was without power.
U.S. disaster relief workers en route to the Caribbean: report
Wednesday 29 October 2025 22:55
,
Mike Bedigan
Dozens of U.S. disaster relief workers, including urban search and rescue teams, are en route to the Caribbean to help local communities with the destruction caused by Hurricane Melissa.
Disaster Assistance Response Team personnel from Washington and regional hubs in Miami and Costa Rica as well as the urban search and rescue crews from Los Angeles County, California, and Fairfax County, Virginia, are en route to the region, three State Department officials told The Associated Press.
They are expected to arrive in the next 24 to 48 hours and join up with local staff in Jamaica, the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic, where they will be based to offer help in neighboring Haiti, per AP.
Dozens evacuated from Bahamas as Melissa approaches
Wednesday 29 October 2025 22:34
,
Mike Bedigan
Dozens of people in the southeast of the Bahamas are being evacuated as Hurricane Melissa bears down on the archipelago.
“We’ve had about five flights so far,” said Alex Storr, executive chairman of the Bahamas’ Disaster Management Authority, adding that officials expect at least four more flights later Wednesday.
Melissa is expected to cut through the southeast Bahamas Wednesday evening and through to the morning.
In pictures: Drone footage shows devastation across Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 22:10
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa tracker: Where will storm head next after devastating Cuba and Jamaica?
Wednesday 29 October 2025 21:53
,
Mike Bedigan
Recap: Hurricane Melissa continues on to the Bahamas
Wednesday 29 October 2025 21:38
,
Mike Bedigan
On Wednesday Hurricane Melissa smashed through Cuba after laying waste to Jamaica, leaving thousands without power and multiple casualties. It has arrived in the Bahamas and is expected to hit Bermuda Thursday.
Here’s a recap, following the National Hurricane’s Center’s 5 p.m. update:
- Over 50 casualties have been reported across the Caribbean, including four in Jamaica, one in the Dominican Republic and dozens in Haiti, including children, after a river burst its banks.
- As of Wednesday evening the Cuban government discontinued all hurricane and tropical storm warnings for their Cuban provinces. A tropical storm warning in effect for Haiti has also been discontinued.
- Hurricane warnings are in effect for the southeastern and central Bahamas and Bermuda, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for the Turks and Caicos Islands.
- Airports in Jamaica are expected to reopen for relief and commercial flights in the next 48 hours, the country’s transport minister has said.
- Over 70 percent of Jamaica was left without power following Melissa’s destruction earlier this week, island officials said.
Jamaica's three airports to reopen for flights and relief
Wednesday 29 October 2025 21:20
,
Mike Bedigan
Jamaica’s three international airports will reopen within the next 48 hours to provide relief and evacuation flights, the country’s transport minister has said.
Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will be accepting relief flights by 4 p.m. local time Wednesday, Daryl Vaz wrote on X.
Commercial flights from the airport are scheduled resume at 7 a.m. Thursday.
Ian Fleming International Airport on the island’s northeast coast will open Thursday at 7 a.m. for commercial flights.
Sangster Airport in the north of Jamaica will reopen for relief flights at 10 a.m. Thursday, Vaz added, with commercial flights to be determined “following completion of assessment.”
Sangster was reported to have sustained heavy damage, including to its departures lounge during the storm Tuesday.
Melissa starting to accelerate over Bahamas
Wednesday 29 October 2025 21:00
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa is beginning to to accelerate northeastward over the Bahamas, according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.
The agency warns that damaging winds, flooding rains and a dangerous storm surge will continue in the area throughout Wednesday night.
'Do not take comfort from storm downgrade,' warns Bahamas minister
Wednesday 29 October 2025 20:47
,
Mike Bedigan
A Minister for the Bahamas has warned that residents should “not take comfort” in the downgrading of Hurricane Melissa from a Category 5 storm to Category 2.
Leon Lundy, Minister of State with Responsibility for Disaster Risk Management Leon Lundy urged residents to remain on alert and sheltered Wednesday, saying that the “danger has not passed”.
“While the storm has lessened in strength, it remains a serious and dangerous system,” he told reporters.
“Category two winds and the threat of flooding still poses real risk to life, and we remain vigilant and on high alert. No one should take comfort in the downgrade. The danger has not passed.”
'Trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces': Jamaica natives assess destruction
Wednesday 29 October 2025 20:31
,
Mike Bedigan
Jamaican residents have described their heartbreak in the aftermath of Hurricane Melissa.
“I’m looking at my house, and so many things have blown away,” Empress Thandi Wise told The Associated Press Wednesday.
“Windows are out, doors are out. I’m just trying to figure out how to pick up the pieces. Everything is wet.”
Wise and her family, including her elderly mother and 12-year-old daughter, sheltered at a friend’s house during the storm and haven’t been able to get to the wellness center and yoga studio she runs on the other side of town.
Updated death toll from Hurricane Melissa
Wednesday 29 October 2025 20:15
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa has now left at least 49 people dead across Caribbean, and officials say they expect numbers to rise.
Authorities in Haiti said that at least 40 people, including children, had died after a river burst its banks in the costal town of Petit-Goâve. 10 more are still missing.
At least eight people are believed to have been killed in Jamaica, including an infant who was killed by a falling tree.
One person is dead in the Dominican Republic, with another missing.
Farmer rescues his dog in Santiago de Cuba
Wednesday 29 October 2025 20:01
,
Mike Bedigan
Over 70 patients being relocated from Jamaica hospital
Wednesday 29 October 2025 19:42
,
Mike Bedigan
Approximately 71 patients at Black River hospital in St Elizabeth in Jamaica are being relocated after power to the facility was cut off by Hurricane Melissa.
Minister of Health and Wellness, Dr Christopher Tufton said arrangements to move the patients were being made with the Jamaica Defence Force and the National Water Commission.
Tufton added that he and his team will be spending the day assessing conditions along the coastlines, where patient evacuation are already underway.
Death toll in Haiti rises to at least 40
Wednesday 29 October 2025 19:25
,
Mike Bedigan
At least 40 people have died across Haiti, due to Hurricane Melissa,
Steven Aristil, with Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency, told The Associated Press that 20 of those deaths were reported in the southern coastal town of Petit-Goâve.
Another 10 people remain missing in the area.
The number of dead and missing in Haiti often fluctuate in the early days following major natural disasters.
Aristil told AP that officials expect the death toll to keep rising as as heavy rains persist.
Watch: Jamaica police work to clear fallen trees after Hurricane Melissa devastation
Wednesday 29 October 2025 19:06
,
Mike Bedigan
Dangerous storm surge and flooding expected in the Bahamas tonight
Wednesday 29 October 2025 18:53
,
Mike Bedigan
The National Hurricane Center said it expects damaging winds, flooding Rains, and a dangerous storm surge in the Bahamas throughout Wednesday night.
Similar conditions are also expected during the afternoon in eastern Cuba.
In pictures: Aftermath of Hurricane Melissa in Haiti
Wednesday 29 October 2025 18:42
,
Mike Bedigan
Four more bodies found in Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 18:32
,
Mike Bedigan
The bodies of four more people have been found in southwest Jamaica, authorities have said.
Police Superintendent Coleridge Minto confirmed the news to Nationwide News Network radio station on Wednesday.
Two of the bodies washed ashore in the Black River community and have not been identified.
The bodies of a 35-year-old man and a 64-year-old man were found in Galleon Beach in the southern parish of St. Elizabeth, Minto said, though their names have not been released publicly.
The current official death toll in Jamaica now stands at eight, though authorities are investigating the possibility of more.
In pictures: Children and other residents evacuated from Cuba ahead of Melissa's arrival
Wednesday 29 October 2025 18:20
,
Mike Bedigan
Death toll from Melissa hits double digits across the Caribbean
Wednesday 29 October 2025 18:00
,
Mike Bedigan
The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has entered double digits, as the powerful storm nears the Bahamas after leaving a trail of destruction across Jamaica and parts of Cuba.
Authorities in Haiti said that at least 25 people, including children, had died after a river burst its banks in the costal town of Petit-Goâve. At least four people are believed to have been killed in Jamaica, as well as one in the Dominican Republic.
International visitors to Jamaica are safe, tourism minister says
Wednesday 29 October 2025 17:53
,
Mike Bedigan
All international visitors who rode out Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica have been accounted for and are in good health, the island’s tourism minister has said.
Around 25,000 tourists were in Jamaica as the storm hit Tuesday, according to Edmund Bartlett.
Two tourists suffered “minor lacerations” from falling debris and another suffered a stroke, but “the medical condition of everybody is in good order,” he said.
Bartlett added that Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston may reopen on Wednesday for relief flights and humanitarian aid. Flights to evacuate guests should be operational from Thursday.
Sangster International Airport, which sustained heavy damage remains closed. Bartlett said he intended to visit the airport and hoped it would also soon resume flights.
At least three babies born during Hurricane Melissa
Wednesday 29 October 2025 17:42
,
Mike Bedigan
Three “Melissa” babies were safely born in Jamaica as the storm battered the island Tuesday, authorities have said.
“You know, Jamaicans, in the middle of all of this, a baby was safely delivered under emergency conditions,” Minister of Local Government Desmond McKenzie told reporters Wednesday.
He compared the infant to other “Gilbert babies” – delivered during Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
McKenzie’s office confirmed that two other babies were also delivered during the storm.
Melissa's path moving towards the Bahamas
Wednesday 29 October 2025 17:30
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa has now cleared Cuba
Wednesday 29 October 2025 17:18
,
Mike Bedigan
The eye of Melissa has now cleared Cuba, though threats of hurricane conditions still remain warned Michael Brennan, the director of the National Hurricane Center.
Hurricane conditions are ongoing for southeastern Cuba, and up to 25 inches of rain was still expected,
Severe flash flooding and landslides are still a possibility, Brennan warned Wednesday.
U.S. sending rescue teams and supplies to the Caribbean
Wednesday 29 October 2025 17:06
,
Mike Bedigan
The U.S. is sending rescue teams and supplies to parts of the Caribbean affected by Hurricane Melissa, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said.
“The United States is in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas as they confront the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa,” Rubio wrote on X.
“We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies. Our prayers are with the people of the Caribbean.”
The United States is in close contact with the governments of Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic and The Bahamas as they confront the devastating impacts of Hurricane Melissa. We have rescue and response teams heading to affected areas along with critical lifesaving supplies.…
— Secretary Marco Rubio (@SecRubio) October 29, 2025
NHC Director says Melissa to hit the Bahamas later today
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:55
,
Mike Bedigan
National Hurricane Center Director Dr Michael Brennan has said that Melissa will reach the Bahamas by later in the day Wednesday.
However, he noted that the system’s forward speed will continue to increase so is likely will be pulling away from the islands by tomorrow.
Brennan added that the storm would be near to Bermuda by Thursday day and into the night, as well as lingering through Friday morning.
“Life-threatening” conditions are ongoing, he said.
Recap: Hurricane Melissa continues to barrel through the Caribbean
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:46
,
Mike Bedigan
On Wednesday Hurricane Melissa smashed through Cuba after laying waste to Jamaica, leaving thousands without power and multiple casualties. It is expected to arrive in the Bahamas shortly.
Here’s a recap, following the National Hurricane’s Center’s 11 a.m. update:
- Dozens of casualties have been reported across the Caribbean, including four in Jamaica, including an infant, one in the Dominican Republic and dozens in Haiti, after a river burst its banks.
- Melissa has moved on through Cuba, weakening to a Category 2, though “life-threatening” storm surge, flash flooding and landslides, remain possible.
- Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected across portions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Wednesday. In Haiti, extensive damage and isolation of communities is likely.
- Hurricane conditions, life-threatening storm surge. and heavy rainfall are expected across portions of the southeastern and central Bahamas today. Almost all flights out of the main airport in Turks and Caicos were cancelled.
- Hurricane conditions and heavy rainfall are expected in Bermuda beginning late Thursday and continuing through Thursday night.
- Over 70 percent of Jamaica has been left without power following Melissa’s destruction earlier this week, island officials said.
Hurricane predictions remarkably accurate despite NOAA cuts
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:36
,
Mike Bedigan
Forecaster predictions on the path and severity of Hurricane Melissa have been remarkably accurate, despite cuts to NOAA programs, including the National Hurricane Center.
CNN notes the NHC had a three-day lead time in predicting that Melissa would rapidly intensify, when the system was not yet classified as a hurricane.
The agency also predicted that Melissa would reach Category 5 at least 36 hours beforehand, when it was still only Category 1.
Predictions that the storm would come ashore in western Jamaica as a Category 4 storm were also correct, four days before it happened – and the forecast track was ultimately only 13 miles off.
Jamaican government minister says he has not received reports of any deaths
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:28
,
Mike Bedigan
Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica’s Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, has said he has not yet received reports of deaths related to Hurricane Melissa.
“We are not in a position to speak about any deaths because we have not had any reports of any deaths so far, so we cannot presume that there are deaths,” he told reporters Wednesday.
“I am hoping there are no deaths to report on.”
The Associated Press has reported at least eight deaths, including one infant, on the island as well as dozens across the Caribbean,
Drone footage shows damage to coastal homes in Alligator Pond, Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:17
,
Mike Bedigan
Residents of Guantanamo Bay remain sheltered in place
Wednesday 29 October 2025 16:06
,
Mike Bedigan
Around 3,000 residents in Guantanamo Bay remained sheltered in place Wednesday as Hurricane Melissa battered Cuba.
Those living at the U.S. naval base holed up in shelters set up at a school, fitness center and other public buildings.
“Everybody’s safe, as far as we know,” Stephen Strickland told The New York Times, speaking from the base’s headquarters in Jacksonville, Florida.
The status of the infamous Guantanamo Bay prison, which currently houses 15 wartime detainees and their guards, was not immediately clear.
In pictures: More destruction in Montego Bay, Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 15:53
,
Mike Bedigan
Melissa knocks out power for 70% of Jamaica
Wednesday 29 October 2025 15:43
,
Mike Bedigan
Crews have begun restoring telecommunications services across Jamaica, after the storm knocked out power for 70 percent of the island.
Dana Morris Dixon, Jamaica’s information minister, said the western part of the country had been hardest hit by the blackouts.
“I know so many people have said they cannot reach their families in western Jamaica. That’s because of damage to the telecoms infrastructure,” Morris Dixon said Wednesday.
The deadly combination that made Hurricane Melissa so devastating
Wednesday 29 October 2025 15:30
,
Mike Bedigan
Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Cuba early on Wednesday after devastating swathes of Jamaica with violent 185mph winds.
More than 700,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in Cuba as the Caribbean island of Jamaica reeled from an estimated $22 billion (£16.6 billion) worth of damage, with towns submerged and homes blown apart.
Read more here from James Reynolds:
In pictures: Devastation in Santiago de Cuba
Wednesday 29 October 2025 15:12
,
Mike Bedigan
