Hurricane Melissa crossing Jamaica
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Melissa is not expected to make landfall in Florida or the U.S. The powerful storm made landfall on Jamaica Tuesday morning and on Cuba early Wednesday morning. It's expected to move across the Bahamas later today and passes near Bermuda on Thursday night.
Hurricane Melissa is expected to continue strengthening and become a Category 5 hurricane, according to the NHC, Saturday, Oct. 25.
"We’ve tried to make the best of it—we hope everyone is safe. This is so scary for all Jamaica," Adrienne Brynteson told Newsweek.
Melissa is not expected to make landfall in Florida or the U.S. The powerful storm is expected to make landfall on the island nation of Jamaica Tuesday morning. At 8 p.m., Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 175 mph and gusts of well over 200 mph. Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 5 hurricane.
Scattered and isolated showers are expected along the coast ahead of a cold front moving into South Florida Wednesday night. A coastal flood statement remains in effect for the Florida Keys through late Wednesday. Minor saltwater flooding is likely, and storm drains are likely to overflow in the area.
Hurricane Melissa’s landfall was the strongest landfall on record in the Atlantic — tied with the 1935 Florida Keys Labor Day hurricane.
Up to 40 inches of rain, 13 feet of storm surge and 160 mph sustained winds will cause “extensive infrastructure damage” that will cut off communities, the National Hurricane Center warned. Melissa has already killed three people in Haiti and Jamaica each and one person in the Dominican Republic.