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Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 5 storm on Monday as it neared Jamaica, bringing the threat of up to 30 inches (76 cm) of torrential rain and a dangerous storm surge. The powerful system is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday before sweeping across Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday. According to the US National Hurricane Center in Miami, Melissa’s center was located roughly 130 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica and about 315 miles (505 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. The US National Hurricane Center in Miami said that the hurricane had maximum winds of 160 mph (260 kph) and was moving west at 3 mph (6 kph). Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir–Simpson scale, marked by sustained winds above 157 mph (250 kph). Melissa now stands as the most powerful hurricane in recent memory to strike the small Caribbean nation directly. The hurricane center warned that isolated areas in eastern Jamaica could receive up to 40 inches (1 meter) of rainfall, while western Haiti might see as much as 16 inches (40 centimeters). “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” it warned. According to The Weather Channel, this marks the first time on record that a Category 4 or 5 hurricane has made landfall in Jamaica. The country narrowly avoided similar events in 1980 and 2004, when Hurricane Allen and Hurricane Ivan passed nearby but did not make landfall. Although Jamaica is set to face the worst of the storm, several other nations will also feel Melissa’s impact. “Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as a powerful major hurricane and will remain at hurricane strength as it moves across the southeastern Bahamas,” the National Hurricane Center said in its advisory, according to The Weather Channel. Get Latest News Live on Times Now along with Breaking News and Top Headlines from US News and around the World.
