Hurricane Melissa threatened to bring catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean as the storm has become stronger.
According to Associated Press, Melissa reached Category 4 strength late on Sunday, October 26, and is expected to intensify into a Category 5 storm as it nears Haiti and Jamaica.
The US National Hurricane Center said that the hurricane is expected to move near or over Jamaica on Tuesday, October 28, and will then move into Cuba and the southeastern Bahamas by Wednesday.
Jamie Rhome, the centre’s deputy director, said on Sunday, “Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today. Be ready to ride this out for several days.â€
Following the warnings, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged citizens to take the “weather threat seriously†and follow all precautionary measures to protect themselves.
As of Sunday night, Hurricane Melissa was located 125 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and 310 miles southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.
The hurricane centre has warned that Melissa could bring over 30 inches (760 mm) of heavy rain to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, while some of the areas could receive 1,010 mm (40 inches) of rain.
As per the centre, the hurricane was moving west at 5 mph (7 kph) with sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) on Sunday. If it reaches Category 5 strength on Monday, winds will exceed 157 mph (250 kph).
