Hurricane Melissa is close to landfall in Jamaica, doing so as the most powerful hurricane of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which follows days of the Caribbean dealing with heavy rainfall, strong winds and rough surf.
When the storm officially makes landfall, it's expected that the Category 5 hurricane will be at its peak strength, according to AccuWeather. (RELATED: Tens Of Thousands Of Birds Trapped In Eye Of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa)
A key way to measure the intensity of a hurricane is the central pressure, which is the atmospheric pressure recorded at the core of its eye. It was confirmed Tuesday morning by the National Hurricane Center (NHC) that Melissa's center pressure dipped to 892 millibars (26.34 inches of mercury), putting it in a tie as the third-strongest hurricane ever in the Atlantic basin.
Melissa is tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, while coming behind Hurricane Gilbert (888mb) and Hurricane Wilma (882mb).
According to the National Hurricane Center, Hurricane Melissa currently has maximum sustained winds of 185 mph.
"This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation," stated the NHC. "Take cover now! Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life. Residents in Jamaica that experience the eye should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the backside of the eyewall of Melissa."
After the storm devastates Jamaica, it's expected that Melissa will slam into eastern Cuba prior to striking parts of the Bahamas while still being a hurricane, and then going on to possibly impact Bermuda, Atlantic Canada and Europe, per the NHC.