Hurricane Melissa is being fuelled by exceptional ocean heat

image via New Scientist

October 28, 2025, 3:06 PM

• •Hurricane Melissa is forecast to produce up to a metre (40 inches) of rain over Jamaica.
• •Global warming has made Hurricane Melissa as strong as it is.
• •Warm sea surface temperatures in the central Caribbean are 1.4°C (2.5°F) higher than typical for October.
• •The storm's slow movement exacerbates the impact, allowing more rain to fall.

Hurricane Melissa, the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Atlantic, is battering Jamaica with extreme rainfall. The storm's strength is directly linked to unusually warm sea surface temperatures in the Caribbean, made significantly more probable by global warming. Experts estimate climate change made these warm waters 500 to 700 times more likely, fueling the hurricane's intensification. The combination of high winds and torrential rain is expected to cause devastating damage and economic consequences for Jamaica.

Read original article