Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, as a Category 5 storm — the most powerful cyclone ever recorded to hit the island. The Meteorological Service of Jamaica placed landfall on the south-western coast near New Hope, Westmoreland, with maximum sustained winds estimated at 295 km/h (185 mph), the Jamaica Information Service reports.

“There is very little that can stop a category-five hurricane,” Evan Thompson, principal director of the Meteorological Services Branch, told a briefing at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Kingston. He warned of “life-threatening damage” across Westmoreland and St Elizabeth and said the system was expected to track north-east and exit the island through Trelawny, weakening as it crossed.

Melissa tore roofs from houses, flooded streets and hospitals and left as much as 80 percent of the country without power before moving on to Cuba, Rolling Stone reported on October 29.

West hit hardest

The music industry’s geography shaped its losses. Kingston, on the east of the island, was spared the worst. Rohan Marley told Rolling Stone that the Bob Marley Museum and Tuff Gong studio were not significantly damaged, and that the Marley properties on Hope Road are now operating as relief centres for food and supplies. “That’s what we call the meaning of hope,” he said. GeeJam Studios in Port Antonio also stood: “The property has thankfully stood strong,” owner Jon Baker said.

Montego Bay was another story. The Catherine Hall complex, home of Reggae Sumfest, was reported underwater. Music Mansion, the studio compound where Maxi Priest had just finished an album, was hit hard and closed, producer Wayne Jobson told the magazine. Most of “Touch Up,” the 750-foot mural of reggae icons from Marley and Jimmy Cliff to Yellowman and Sean Paul, collapsed a day after the storm passed. “In Montego Bay, the storm feels personal,” said marketing executive Radhe Vaswani, who curated the mural.

“All the studios are shut down and nobody is working,” Jobson said. “The Jamaican music business will definitely be closed for the next few weeks, as a lot of roads are blocked.” A Kingston session he had been running with Earl “Chinna” Smith, U Brown and Dean Fraser was cut short as the airports closed. At sea, the Welcome to Jamrock Reggae Cruise, co-founded by Damian Marley, was rerouted from Jamaica to Cozumel.

“It’s all devastating to everyone,” Rohan Marley said. “But the greatest thing is we have life. Once we have life, we can rebuild.”

Update, November 6: the industry responds

Artists moved quickly into relief work. Masicka delivered supplies to St Elizabeth; Sean Paul and his foundation packed food with Food For The Poor Jamaica; Romeich, D’Angel and Beenie Man were among others contributing directly to affected communities, the Star reports.

“Many of them hailed from impoverished communities so they understand at a granular level what is happening here and that’s why most of them are so moved to help,” music industry analyst Clyde McKenzie told the paper, praising artists who paused promotion of their own projects. Cultural studies scholar Professor Donna Hope said she was “very proud” of the response and challenged artists to document the moment in song, citing Lloyd Lovindeer’s “Wild Gilbert” from 1988 as a precedent. Her own storm soundtrack, she said, has been Popcaan’s “Firm and Strong.”

Editor’s note: The festival calendar did not escape. In December, Rebel Salute announced it would not be staged in Jamaica in 2026, citing Melissa’s impact on its western audience and partners (Gleaner).

Listen and dig deeper

Sources: Jamaica Information Service — “Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall In New Hope, Westmoreland” (Oct 28, 2025); Rolling Stone — “‘The Storm Feels Personal’: Jamaica’s Reggae Community Grapples with Melissa’s Aftermath” (Oct 29, 2025); The Star — “Music industry lauded for Melissa response” (Nov 6, 2025).

Editor’s note: This story is part of an archive backfill covering Jamaican music news from 2022 to 2026. It is dated to the events it reports.