Satellites observe Category 5 Hurricane Melissa ahead of possible record-breaking landfall in Jamaica

Satellites around Earth are watching as powerful Hurricane Melissa travels toward Jamaica.

On October 21, scientists began monitoring the development of Hurricane Melissa, the 13th named storm of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season. Just four days after forming, the storm quickly grew into a large and dangerous storm. great hurricane in it Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scalebecoming a monster storm early Monday morning (Oct. 27), when sustained winds reached 175 miles per hour (280 kilometers per hour).

Currently classified as a Category 5 storm, Melissa is moving at a snail’s pace, making the storm even more destructive. It has the potential to make landfall in Jamaica as the strongest hurricane in the country’s recorded history. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), there have only been three hurricanes since 1950 that made landfall on the island, two of them Category 3: Hurricane Charlie in 1951, followed by Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Morning light shines through convection inside Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. pic.twitter.com/iH03MzmW6c October 27, 2025

Thanks to satellites in space, scientists and forecasters can follow the storm along its path, watching it grow in size and strength throughout its life. NOAA Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES) Satellites have closely tracked Hurricane Melissa since it formed and have shown a high-definition image of the storm.

Frame from NOAA timelapse of Hurricane Melissa (Image credit: NOAA)

Using a combination of instruments in VA-19, Experts can learn a variety of things about the storm, such as the location of the lightning within the eye, the time when the storm began to grow and strengthen rapidly, and the location of the hurricane’s outer bands and where they extend.

Lightning flashes within the powerful eyewall of Hurricane Melissa. Incredible images this morning of Melissa, a Category 5 storm, south of Jamaica. pic.twitter.com/AeFva33fieOctober 27, 2025

The satellites also reveal how the storm became more symmetrical over time as it grew more powerful in the open waters of the Caribbean, as well as where it stopped and began its slow journey toward Jamaica.

It is expected to bring life-threatening flash flooding, landslides and the possibility of devastating winds to the island through Tuesday (October 28) and into the middle of the week as it moves through the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

To stay up to date with the latest on Melissa, you can find more details at NOAA National Hurricane Center.