International
A man walks in Kingston, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches, Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025.
AP Photo/Matias Delacroix
Hurricane Melissa is among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record
Published 12:29 PDT, Tue October 28, 2025
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Hurricane Melissa is now among the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes on record.
The monster storm strengthened Tuesday before hitting Jamaica, bringing with it maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph). It's the strongest Atlantic hurricane to make landfall since Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas in 2019.
Here’s a look at the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record:
Hurricane Allen
The most powerful Atlantic storm in terms of wind speed, Hurricane Allen killed more than 200 people in Haiti before swooping into Texas in 1980. It's highest sustained winds reached 190 mph (305 kph) but slowed before it hit land.
Hurricane Melissa
The storm came ashore Tuesday in Jamaica as one the strongest Atlantic hurricanes in history. Its 185 mph (295 kph) sustained winds tied a record for the strongest speeds by an Atlantic storm while making landfall.
Hurricane Dorian
The most intense hurricane to hit the Bahamas on record, more than 70 people died in the 2019 storm that packed 185 mph (295 kph) winds.
Hurricane Wilma
This 2005 storm rapidly intensified, with winds topping out around 185 mph (295 kph). It slammed into Mexico's Yucatán Peninsula before hitting South Florida, where it carved a wide path of destruction.
Hurricane Gilbert
Hurricane Gilbert first made landfall in Jamaica and tore through the Caribbean in 1988 before slamming into Mexico, where 200 people died. At its peak, winds reached 185 mph (295 kph).
Labor Day hurricane
This unnamed storm in 1935 remains one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the U.S. It devastated the Florida Keys and left damage along the Atlantic Coast. Its winds were measured at 185 mph (295 kph).
Hurricane Milton
Weeks after Hurricane Helene, this storm tore up the Gulf Coast of Florida last October and swept across the state. Warm water fueled its rapid intensification as its winds briefly reached 180 mph (290 kph).
Hurricane Irma
The storm packing winds of 180 mph (290 kph) caused more than an estimated $700 million in damage across Puerto Rico and knocked power out to more than a million people in 2017.
Hurricane Rita
Weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, this storm with winds reaching 180 mph (290 kph) ripped through southwestern Louisiana. It caused more than $11 billion in damage.
Hurricane Mitch
The catastrophic storm in 1998 set off mudslides and floods that left more than 11,000 dead, mostly in Honduras and Nicaragua. The hurricane hit the coast of Central America with winds at 180 mph.
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