Hurricane Melissa's Destruction Amplified by Climate Change

Sun Nov 30 2025 22:57:01 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

A recent analysis reveals that human-induced climate change significantly intensified Hurricane Melissa's destructive force, leading to devastating impacts in the Caribbean.

Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest storms to hit the Atlantic this year, saw its wind speeds increased by 7% and rainfall intensification of 16% due to climate change. The storm caused widespread damage across Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba, with human activities linked to an increase in hurricane strength and frequency. The study indicates that these trends may continue, further threatening communities in affected regions.

Human-caused climate change significantly amplified the destructive winds and rains caused by Hurricane Melissa, resulting in extensive damages across the Caribbean, according to an analysis released Thursday. Melissa impacted Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, and Cuba, claiming numerous lives and causing destruction to homes, hospitals, and agricultural lands.

The World Weather Attribution (WWA) team's rapid analysis indicated that climate change increased Melissa's maximum wind speeds by 7% and enhanced its rainfall intensity by 16%. Moreover, the conditions in which the storm developed—characterized by higher temperatures and humidity—were found to be six times more probable due to climate change compared to a pre-industrial scenario.

Melissa's slow progression allowed it to absorb substantial energy from unusually warm ocean waters, with temperatures in its path measuring approximately 1.4°C (2.5°F) above pre-industrial levels. Theodore Keeping, a contributing climate scientist, described warmer oceans as instrumental in driving hurricanes, emphasizing that the greater the ocean temperatures, the more power hurricanes can exert.

Rapid intensification—a phenomena where a tropical storm's maximum sustained winds increase at least 30 knots within 24 hours—was observed in Melissa, marking it as one of four Atlantic storms to undergo such intensification this year. Scientists indicate that without human-induced changes, the storm's wind speeds would have been significantly lower, potentially reducing the economic damage incurred by the hurricane.

Researchers firmly posit that climate change is correlated with the increasing frequency and intensity of such storms, citing that atmospheric conditions influenced by human activities lead to greater hurricane speeds and precipitation.

Andrew Dessler, a professor of atmospheric sciences, contextualized the findings as consistent with existing research, underscoring the urgency to address these alarming trends as they may herald more destructive storms in the future. The importance of rapid attribution analyses is recognized, as they offer swift insights into the impact of climate change in the wake of catastrophic weather events.

In summary, Hurricane Melissa's severity and destruction serve as a critical reminder of the escalating impacts of climate change on extreme weather patterns, raising concerns about future occurrences of similar events.