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Hurricane season is officially upon us. And the biggest hurricane of the year is making landfall. Hurricane Melissa, a Category 5 storm, arrived in Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28. The United Nations is calling it the "storm of the century" as Jamaicans hunker down from the strong winds. According to CNN, Melissa has already taken the lives of seven people – three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. Weather forecasters believe this is the strongest storm to hit Jamaica, with wind speeds of 185 mph. So far in 2025, there have been 13 tropical storms and hurricanes, with the first hurricane forming in June. And Melissa is the third Category 5 storm this year – following Hurricanes Erin and Humberto. While the storm's path is far from over, here's everything we know about Melissa and hurricanes themselves. How are hurricanes named? Unlike tornadoes or earthquakes, hurricanes are a natural disaster with human names. But how are they named? In the North Atlantic Ocean, tropical storms are named by the United States National Hurricane Center. The World Meteorological Organization keeps six lists of available names in alphabetical order, excluding Q, U, X, Y and Z. These lists rotate each year. Throughout hurricane season, storms are named both male and female names, rotating between the two. The name Melissa lives on "list 5" and comes after the names Karen and Lorenzo. It's useful for meteorologists to name hurricanes so that they can keep track of multiple storms. Interestingly, until 1979, only women's names were used to name hurricanes. When a storm is deadly, that name can be removed from the list so that future storms don't share its name. Some retired names are Katrina, Harvey, Irma, Maria, and Nate, which were all incredibly violent and dangerous storms. In 2025, the names used are: Andrea, Barry, Chantal, Dexter, Erin, Fernand, Gabrielle, Humberto, Imelda, Jerry, Karen, Lorenzo, Melissa, Nestor, Olga, Pablo, Rebekah, Sebastien, Tanya, Van, and Wendy. Will Hurricane Melissa hit the United States? The storm is currently wreaking havoc in Jamaica. And while the Southeast is a hotbed for hurricanes, this storm won't hit the United States. The current path of Hurricane Melissa shows it making landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 storm, and continuing on to hit Bermuda as a Category 2 storm on Thursday, October 30. While Melissa won't hit the United States, other hurricanes have this year. Hurricane Erin caused hazardous rip tides and swimming conditions along the East Coast, with several states, like New Jersey, declaring states of emergency. The storm also caused minor coastal flooding. Hurricane Humberto brought heavy rain to Puerto Rico, causing flooding and a landslide. Hurricane Melissa is the biggest storm of the year, but it probably won't be the last. Hurricane season isn't expected to end until November 30.
