Hurricane Melissa, which claimed at least 95 lives last fall, got an upgrade from the National Hurricane Center in a post-season review.
As the record-breaking hurricane approached Jamaica, its estimated highest sustained winds topped out at a terrifying 190 mph on Oct. 28, tying with 1980's Hurricane Allen as one of the two hurricanes with the highest wind speed on record in the Atlantic basin.
With less than 100 days until the start of the 2026 hurricane season on June 1, the hurricane center is finishing up its reviews of the 2025 season. The new information about Melissa's wind speeds was revealed in the final report the center posted on Feb. 25.
Elsewhere this week, Tropical Cyclone Horacio became a Category 5 storm with 160 mph winds in the Indian Ocean east of Madagascar.
Melissa's rapid intensification and high winds and atypical hurricane behavior amazed even some of the more experienced scientists who study tropical cyclones, thanks in part to its journey over some exceptionally warm waters in the Caribbean.
