Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, bringing several feet of rain and flooding to the island over the coming days. The Category 5 hurricane is the most powerful storm of the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season and the strongest storm to hit Jamaica since Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

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.

In order to form, Category 5 hurricanes require a “perfect storm” of factors, says Charles Konrad, professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “Typically, there's going to be atmospheric or geographic factors that ma

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