This phenomenon makes it the strongest hurricane on record to hit that country.
SANTO DOMINGO – Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday around 1 p.m. ET, near New Hope, as a Category 5 hurricane with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h), according to the National Hurricane Center. This makes it the strongest hurricane on record to hit the country.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Melissa is considered one of the most dangerous hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic basin, matching in intensity the Dorian (2019) and Labor Day (1935) hurricanes, both with winds of 298 km/h at the time of making landfall.
The agency stated that Melissa is the most powerful cyclone to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic since Hurricane Dorian. Prior to this event, the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica was Gilbert in 1988, which was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall.
Melissa continues to move north-northeast at a speed of 14 km/h, generating catastrophic winds, heavy rain, flooding and a life-threatening storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.
