MEXICO CITY, Mexico, March 7, 2026—The World Meteorological Organization’s Hurricane Committee retired Melissa from its rotating list of names because of the death and destruction it caused in the Caribbean in October 2025.

The committee selected Molly as the replacement in the 2031 name list. The list rotates every six years.

At its peak, Melissa was classified as a category 5 storm based on the Saffir Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, with life-threatening winds reaching around 300 km/h.

The storm produced devastating storm surge and damaging winds across Jamaica and Cuba and brought extreme rainfall and flooding to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba.

Melissa was responsible for more than 90 deaths across Jamaica, Haiti and the other island nations.

Melissa is the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica. The storm ties Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas in 2019 and the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane in the United States as the strongest hurricane, in terms of maximum sustained wind speed, to make landfall in the Atlantic basin.

“The risks associated with tropical cyclones are both real and increasing,” said WMO Secretary-General Celeste Saulo. “It only takes one landfalling tropical cyclone to roll back years of development.”

That was the case with Hurricane Melissa.

“Recovery will be long and hard,” she said. “Despite the force of Melissa, loss of life was in the dozens rather than the thousands. This is testimony to the accuracy of advance forecasts and the use of these early warnings to support early action.”

Headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland, the WMO’s Regional Association IV Hurricane Committee that covers North America, Central America and the Caribbean meets once a year. This year’s meeting was held last week in Mexico City, Mexico.

2025 season

The 2025 hurricane season had 13 named storms. Of those, eight remained tropical storms with five of those never making a landfall.

There were five hurricanes in 2025. One remained category 1, one strengthened into a category 4 storm and the other three strengthened to category 5 intensity.

Melissa was the only hurricane to make landfall, in Jamaica, doing so at near its peak intensity of 190 mph winds.

Retired names

Melissa is the 100th name to be retired from the Atlantic basin hurricane name list. Naming hurricanes began in 1947.

• Most retired names: 2005 – Dennis, Katarina, Rita, Stan, Wilma
• Most frequently retired names beginning with the letters: “I” 13, “F” 10, “C” 9
• Last names to be retired – 2024 with Beryl, Helene, Milton
• Last season to not have a name retired – 2023

Staff and WHO news releasse