Hurricane Melissa hits Cuba
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Hurricane Melissa has strengthened back into a Category 2 hurricane after devastating Jamaica, Cuba and the Bahamas and is heading toweard Bermuda.
Melissa, dubbed Jamaica’s “storm of the century” by the World Meteorological Organization, quickly surpassed Hurricane Gilbert, which struck the island in 1988 with winds of 130 mph. Gilbert devastated Jamaica, killing 45 people and causing an estimated $700 million in damage.
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Hurricane Melissa is currently pulling away from the Bahamas Category 2 storm, moving northeast at 21 mph. It's located less than 400 miles from the Florida coast and it makes its way towards Bermuda while sustaining winds of 105 mph.
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 2 p.m., Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 165 mph with higher gusts. Melissa is a dangerously powerful Category 5 hurricane.
As of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday, Melissa was still a powerful Category 4 storm, with winds of 145 mph. The hurricane is centered about 15 miles east of Montego Bay and about 200 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba. It is moving north-northeast at 8 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Melissa is expected to become a Category 5 hurricane by Sunday night, Oct. 26, and have catastrophic impacts on islands in the northern Caribbean.
"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.
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Hurricane Melissa ranks as one of the strongest Atlantic storms to make landfall in recorded history
Hurricane Melissa became one of the most powerful hurricanes on record to make landfall in the Atlantic Basin.