Hurricane Melissa has been an extraordinary storm, even among the many massive, fast-growing, devastating cyclones that have been erupting in the Atlantic Ocean in recent years.

Hurricane Melissa, a record-breaking Category 5 storm, devastates Jamaica and the Caribbean with deadly winds, flooding, storm surge, and historic destruction, reshaping 2025 hurricane season outlook.

Hurricane Melissa has grown into one of the most powerful storms the Atlantic has seen in years. Here are five startling facts about this devastating storm.

Parts of the Caribbean began surveying the damage caused by the deadly Hurricane Melissa, which made landfall in Jamaica as a powerful Category 5.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Hurricane Hunters have spent the past week diving into the eye of Melissa — a storm of historic ferocity — to gather life-saving data. But the government shutdown means they aren’t getting a paycheck.

Lightning flashes in the eyewall of Category 5 Melissa are a marker of how strong the storm is. It reached a central pressure of 892 millibars, among the lowest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. It is tied as the third-most intense Atlantic storm with the devastating 1935 Labor Day hurricane.

They fly straight into the world’s most dangerous storms to gather life-saving data. Here's the skinny on the pilots and scientists who make hurricane hunting possible.

South Florida was spared a direct blow from Hurricane Melissa, but the massive storm still hit home for the millions of residents there who have deep roots in the Caribbean