Create Category 6

HURRICANE Melissa pushed Jamaica into uncharted territory with its record-breaking winds which reached 185 miles per hour (mph) or about 298 kilometres per hour (km/h). Now, one year after the devastating storm, Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda wants the world to consider a Category 6 designation for hurricanes that far exceed the current scale. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, the strongest storm is rated at Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 157 mph (252 km/h) or higher. The scale is open-ended and expects that any storm crossing into that territory will bring catastrophic damage. But Samuda plans to take a proposal to the World Meteorological Organisation’s (WMO) upcoming board meeting, that will be held in Turks and Caicos in November, for classification of storms which surpass Category 5 parameters. “We certainly intend to put that position clear to the WMO’s board meeting…It is time for contemplation of a category above cat five because when you have wind intensity above the Category 5 [threshold] it is not reasonable,” said Samuda during a recent meeting of the Jamaica Observer Press Club at the newspaper’s St Andrew headquarters. As he responded to questions regarding the National Water Commission’s multi-billion-dollar debt, Samuda pointed to Hurricane Melissa’s devastation as one of the events that led to a contraction of revenue for the utility. He argued that the storm’s impact required a category that accurately displayed its intensity. When Hurricane Melissa made its slow and terrifying approach to Jamaica’s shores, the world watched on in horror as its winds intensified and its air pressure dipped to historic lows. Drawing from the warmth and moisture of Caribbean waters, the storm upgraded its peak sustained winds over the open sea to 190 mph, officially tying Melissa with Hurricane Allen of 1980 as the strongest hurricane in Atlantic history based on maximum sustained winds. It then made landfall near New Hope, Westmoreland, on October 28, 2025, bringing with it maximum sustained winds of 185 mph tying it for the highest land-falling winds in Atlantic history alongside the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, 1988 Hurricane Gilbert, and 2019 Hurricane Dorian.

Satellite image of Hurricane Melissa as it hit Jamaica on October 28, 2025.

Melissa also made an all-time record wind gust of 252 mph, which was measured inside the storm by a reconnaissance aircraft dropsonde. Many survivors across western Jamaica recall their ears popping as the catastrophic storm swept through — a telling sign of its plunging air pressure. At landfall Melissa reached a minimum central pressure of 892 millibars (mb), making it the lowest land-falling pressure in the Atlantic, tying it, again, with the Labor Day hurricane, which arrived at Florida Keys also at 892 mb. Moreover, Melissa generated a storm surge of seven to 11 feet with some areas reaching up to 13–16 feet, particularly inundating south-western coastal zones like Black River. The National Hurricane Centre also reported that the hurricane carried extensive rainfall, with many weather stations recording storm-total rainfall of eight to 15 inches. The highest reported storm total was 32.17 inches at Knockpatrick in Manchester, while other notable totals included 26.31 inches at Dam Head, St Catherine, and 25.47 inches at Ingleside, Manchester. Due to the prolonged heavy rainfall, rivers and streams overflowed their banks, resulting in freshwater flooding in flood-prone communities and across multiple river basins. Against that backdrop, the water minister told Observer editors and journalists that he intends to seriously push for a new categorisation of storms that outpace the boundaries of the established scale. “When the air pressure goes below and the storm surge goes above all the thresholds of Category 5 significantly, then it’s time for another designation whether it is total devastation or cat 6. We will certainly make our position known that it requires review,” added Samuda. According to the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale: Category 1: 74-95 mph Very dangerous winds will produce some damage Category 2: 96-110 mph Extremely dangerous winds will cause extensive damage Category 3: 111-129 mph Devastating damage will occur Category 4: 130-156 mph Catastrophic damage will occur Category 5: 157 mph or higher Catastrophic damage will occur