Hurricane Melissa becomes 100th Atlantic storm name retired
There will never be another Atlantic hurricane known as Melissa, the World Meteorological Organization says. Find out what the new name is.
The National Hurricane Center’s final analysis has now upgraded Hurricane Melissa to become the strongest Atlantic hurricane ever recorded alongside 1980’s Hurricane Allen with winds of 190 mph.
There will never be another Hurricane Melissa, the World Meteorological Organization announced Wednesday, retiring the name due to the extreme damage and deaths the storm inflicted on the Caribbean and Jamaica last year.
The lists of 21 names are reused every six years, so the new "M" name for the 2031 Atlantic Hurricane Season is Molly.
Hurricane Melissa, recently upgraded to 190-mph sustained winds and tied with Allen 1980 for the strongest winds measured in an Atlantic hurricane, killed more than 95 people. A record for the strongest wind gust ever measured via reconnaissance aircraft was also set by the storm and confirmed in November 2025. AccuWeather's damage and economic loss estimate for Hurricane Melissa was $48-52 billion.
The 2025 storm is the 100th name to be crossed off the list for the Atlantic basin. The first storm to be retired was Hurricane Carol in 1954, and three — Beryl, Helene and Milton — were retired in 2024. In 2005, five names were discontinued, the most in any season. The letter "I" has the most names retired, with 14.
A convoy carrying aid to Black River, which was hit by Hurricane Melissa, makes its way through Holland Bamboo, Jamaica, Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, where downed trees and debris partially block the road. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)
The WMO's Hurricane Committee consists of experts from National Meteorological and Hydrological Services and represents North America, Central America and the Caribbean. They met in Mexico City this week to review the past season and prepare for the forthcoming one.
This image shows Category 5 Hurricane Melissa making landfall in southwestern Jamaica at 1 p.m. Eastern, on Tuesday, Oct. 28, 2025. (AccuWeather Enhanced RealVue™ Satellite)
"Melissa has now been engraved in the collective memory of the nation,” said Evan Thompson, Principal Director at Meteorological Service, Jamaica, and President of WMO’s Regional Association IV.
"I am very thankful that there was unanimous approval of my request for the retirement of Melissa," Thompson added. "Jamaica would not have liked to constantly recount the trauma that was visited on us in 2025."
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