Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane near Black River in St. Elizabeth Parish, southwestern Jamaica, on the evening of 28 October (UTC). The storm then moved across western Jamaica and continued northeast, making a second landfall along the southeastern coast of Cuba, about 30 km west of Santiago de Cuba. As of 29 October at 07:10, its centre was located inland, approximately 30 km east of Chivirico, with maximum sustained winds of 195 km/h.

In Jamaica, around 6,000 people are displaced and 800 shelters have been activated nationwide. In Cuba, at least 750,000 people have been evacuated. In Haiti, three deaths have been reported, while in the Dominican Republic two people have died and nearly 1.8 million have been affected. Preventive evacuations have begun in the Bahamas.

From 29 to 31 October, heavy rainfall, strong winds, and storm surges are expected across Jamaica, Cuba, much of Haiti, southern Dominican Republic, and the central and southeastern Bahamas.