Melissa was the 12th major hurricane to hit Cuba in the past 25 years. Remarkably, no major hurricanes hit Cuba during the 34-year period from 1967-2000. Before Melissa, the last hurricane to hit Cuba was Hurricane Rafael, which made landfall in southwestern Cuba about 40 miles southwest of Havana on Nov. 6, 2024, as a Category 3 storm with 115 mph (185 km/h) winds and a central pressure of 956 mb. Rafael was the first November major hurricane to make landfall in Cuba since Hurricane Michelle of 2001. Rafael did not kill anyone, but did $1 billion in damage.
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