Name: Hurricane Melissa ties 1935 record for strongest hurricane at landfall
Uploaded: 2025-10-30T23:54:40.704Z
Duration: 2 min 20 s
Description: Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, and it maintained that strength when making landfall in western Jamaica, causing widespread destruction.

Melissa was one of the strongest hurricanes ever recorded in the Atlantic, and it maintained that strength when making landfall in western Jamaica, causing widespread destruction.

Kingston

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in southwest Jamaica with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour and a central pressure of 892 millibars, tying the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest Atlantic landfall on record. The storm also matched other major hurricanes such as Dorian, Wilma, and Gilbert for maximum sustained winds, but only Melissa and the 1935 hurricane reached this intensity at landfall.

After landfall, Melissa weakened as it moved northeast, with its structure affected by upper-level winds. The storm is currently impacting Bermuda with tropical storm force winds and gusts up to 95 miles per hour, but hurricane force winds are expected to remain northwest of the island. Minor storm surge and rainfall are forecast for Bermuda, with the storm rated as a level one on the local impact scale.

Hurricane Melissa ties 1935 record for strongest hurricane at landfall

We have big concerns out there for Bermuda and even a sideswipe for the Canadian Maritimes. You know, big picture as we zoom out, this storm has been one for the books. One of the six strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. A five-way tie for the number two position. Only Hurricane Alan, 45 years ago, was stronger by wind speed at 190 miles per hour. So Melissa tied Dorian from six years ago, Wilma from 20 years ago, Gilbert from 1988, and Labor Day Hurricane from 1935 for max sustained winds of 185 miles per hour. Notably, though, at landfall, Melissa and Labor Day, 1935, were tied for the strongest landfalls at 185 and also 892 millibars, so very strong, ear-popping low pressure. And one of the storm chasers there in southwest Jamaica, who was near the point of landfall, who just faced a tenacious storm, referred to the eyewall as just a giant, fierce white void looking out the window, couldn't see anything other than just white from that rain just blowing through the atmosphere there. So we do hope Jamaica, the point of landfall, this is what the storm looked like about two days plus five hours ago or so, this is what it looks like now, certainly very, very different. It's a disheveled storm racing northeast, upper-level winds kind of ravaging its structure. Here it goes, there's that little dip in the jet stream, the big trough absorbs it, sends it out, that'll be it for it, but in the meantime, we still have impacts coming into Bermuda, and the tropical storm force winds will be impacting the area of Bermuda. Sustained hurricane force probably staying off to the northwest of Bermuda, but it is a geographically large storm, maximum sustained winds still Category 2 intensity, but for Bermuda, given the fact that the hurricane force winds will probably stay northwest, we'll be dealing with sustained winds, the tropical storm force, but there will be gusts of 60 to 80 miles per hour for Bermuda, and the high-end potential for the strongest wind gusts could be an accurate local storm max of 95 miles per hour on one of the hills. One to three foot storm surge, because it's moving so fast, rainfall, only an inch or two. We can handle that there in Bermuda, so this storm will have an accurate real impact scale rating of one. Coming up in the forecast feed in about 40 minutes, we'll take a look at if there might be any other trouble further down the line in the Atlantic hurricane season.

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