The death toll from Hurricane Melissa has risen to 28 in Jamaica, the country's prime minister said in an update Saturday, days after the powerful hurricane made landfall as a Category 5 storm and tore through the island.

Hurricane Melissa has hit southwestern Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, causing heavy flooding and wind damage.

Article last updated: Monday, Oct. 27, 2025, 1 p.m. ET

Its intensity at landfall appeared to tie an all-time Atlantic Basin record. But the devastation in Jamaica wasn't all Melissa brought to the Caribbean. Here is our recap of this historic hurricane.

And that follows Hurricane Milton last year, which was the most intense Gulf of Mexico hurricane in recorded history. And that followed Hurricane Otis the year before, which was a tropical storm about to hit Mexico that exploded from tropical storm to Category 5 monster in one day . How does a nation prepare for that?

Emergency water systems and medical teams deployed to Jamaica following Category 5 Hurricane Melissa with additional Samaritan's Purse relief flights planned.

It also marks the first time in 20 years that three or more Category 5 hurricanes have developed over the Atlantic Basin in one season. The last time was in 2005, when Hurricanes Emily, Katrina, Rita, and Wilma all reached Category 5—breaking a record.