Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday with unprecedented wind speeds of 298 km/h, matching historical records. This extraordinary hurricane defied typical meteorological patterns, intensifying even as it approached land, a phenomenon that left scientists both baffled and concerned. Melissa’s rapid intensification—gaining 113 km/h in wind speed within 24 hours—was fueled by unusually warm Atlantic waters, a direct consequence of climate change, according to experts.
Phil Klotzbach, a hurricane researcher at Colorado State University, described Melissa as ‘a remarkable storm, just a beast.’ The hurricane’s wind speeds and air pressure matched records set by the deadly 1935 Labor Day storm in Florida and Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Unlike typical hurricanes, Melissa did not weaken during an eyewall replacement cycle, a process that usually tempers storm intensity. Instead, it maintained its strength, even lingering near Jamaica’s mountainous terrain, which typically disrupts storms.
Bernadette Woods Placky, chief meteorologist at Climate Central, emphasized the role of warm ocean waters in Melissa’s intensity. ‘The storm seemed to effortlessly ventilate itself,’ she noted, highlighting the unusually deep and warm waters that provided continuous fuel for the hurricane. Melissa’s rapid intensification occurred in five six-hour periods, a rare and alarming pattern.
Climate Central’s analysis suggests that the warming of ocean waters, driven by human-induced climate change, made the conditions for Melissa’s formation 500 to 700 times more likely. This aligns with a broader trend: since 2016, there have been 13 Category 5 hurricanes in the Atlantic, a significant increase compared to previous decades. While hurricane records from the pre-satellite era are less reliable, the data underscores a clear link between climate change and the intensification of storms.
As the world continues to warm, experts predict more powerful hurricanes, even if the total number of storms does not increase. ‘When these storms move over extremely warm water, it’s extra fuel for rapid intensification and record-breaking events,’ Woods Placky concluded.