
Should you’re simply becoming a member of us, right here’s a round-up of what we all know to date about Melissa, the Class 5 hurricane threatening to devastate Jamaica.
• Melissa has picked up velocity and is now transferring north-northeast at 7 mph. Landfall is predicted in Jamaica later this morning.
• Melissa has maintained its Class 5 standing for twenty-four hours because it barrels in direction of Jamaica and Cuba, lashing the islands with heavy wind, with peak speeds of 175mph and rain. For context, two earlier Class 5 hurricanes this season, Humberto and Erin, each maintained their peak power for 12 hours or fewer.
• It has been described as “the storm of the century” by a UN company, with a storm surge as much as 13 toes (4 meters). Jamaica’s local weather minister has warned of an “excessive” threat of flooding.
• A hurricane warning can also be in impact for the Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin; Southeastern and Central Bahamas. A hurricane watch is in impact for Turks and Caicos Islands and a tropical storm warning is in impact for Haiti, the Cuban province of Las Tunas, Turks and Caicos Islands. See right here for the timings.
• Greater than 800 shelters have opened throughout Jamaica, prepared to deal with residents whose houses are affected by flooding and landslides attributable to Melissa.