Hurricane Melissa (November 4, 2025)
A Destructive Hurricane
ℹ️ What? A very powerful hurricane named Melissa, which hit Jamaica hard with violent winds, heavy rains, and flooding. 🌀
👤 Who? Jamaican residents—children, families, entire communities—who were affected by the hurricane's damage.
🌍 Where? On the island of Jamaica, in the Caribbean.
🕰️ When? Late October 2025—the hurricane hit Jamaica around October 28.
❓ Why? Because this hurricane caused widespread destruction (buildings, roads, homes) and shows how vulnerable Caribbean island countries are to climate events. ⛈️
🎯 For this activity, your goal will be to learn a little more about hurricanes from a real-life example, that of Melissa.
Your goal today!
A few days ago, Jamaica was hit by Hurricane Melissa, a very powerful storm that brought strong winds, heavy rain, and flooding.
Residents had to take shelter and follow the authorities' instructions to stay safe. Rescue teams worked day and night to help affected families.
This event reminds us how dangerous hurricanes can be and why it is important to be well prepared. Let's find out what happened... 🌧️🌀
🎯 For this activity, your goal will be to learn a little more about hurricanes from a real-life example, that of Melissa.
The activity consists of three steps:
STEP 1 — How Does a Hurricane Form? You will discover how hurricanes originate.
STEP 2 — A Weather Monster Called Melissa. You will prepare a fact sheet about this weather monster!
STEP 3 — Jamaica, Hard Hit. You will learn a little more about Jamaica, the small island that found itself in Melissa's path.
This is what the final result of your activity will look like. →
Let's go! →
STEP 1 — How Does a Hurricane Form?
Have you ever heard of winds so powerful that they can lift roofs and shake palm trees?
Hurricanes are among the most impressive natural phenomena on the planet!
Before diving into the case of Hurricane Melissa, find out how these giants of the sky are formed.
Watch the video on the SciShow Kids website, then answer the questions below.
Finished? Head to step 2! →
STEP 2 — A Weather Monster Called Melissa.
Now that you know how a hurricane forms, it's time to learn about a real hurricane, Melissa. Look at the satellite photo and see how big this monster of wind and rain is! →
This hurricane recently swept through part of the Caribbean, with Jamaica being particularly hard hit.
Your mission for this step: identify the main characteristics of Melissa to better understand its power and path.
First, watch the short report on the damage caused by Melissa. Then, go to Wikipedia and fill out the fact sheet for this hurricane.
Fact Sheet — Melissa
| Your answer | |
|---|---|
| Date of formation | |
| Countries hit | |
| Maximum wind speed | |
| Fatalities | |
| Cost of damage | |
| Category on Saffir-Simpson scale |
Have you ever heard of the Richter scale, which is used to measure earthquakes?
Hurricanes also have their own scale for measuring their strength: the Saffir-Simpson scale, which measures wind speed.
"In 1971, the scale was developed by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Simpson, who at the time was director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC)." (Wikipedia)
Finished? Head to step 3! →
STEP 3 — Jamaica, Hard Hit
You have now reached the final stage of your exploration!
Now that you understand how hurricanes form and have learned about Melissa's path, it's time to take a look at one of the countries it affected: Jamaica.
This Caribbean island is known for its vibrant culture, music (are you familiar with reggae?), beautiful beaches... but also for its geographical location, which sometimes makes it vulnerable to hurricanes.
Your goal for this step is to better locate Jamaica in the world and learn a little more about this unique country.
Go to Vikidia or Wikipedia and answer the following questions!
Are you done? Have a look at your final result! →