Hurricane Melissa becomes Category 5, strongest threat to Jamaica since 1988

Hurricane Melissa has now strengthened to a powerful Category 5 storm early Monday, putting Jamaica to high alert on devastating flooding.

According to forecasters’ warning, the storm would make Jamaica susceptible to deadly landslides, flash flooding, and strongest winds across the Caribbean.

Melissa is also expected to make landfall on Jamaica early Tuesday.

At 5 a.m. ET, the extremely catastrophic Hurricane Melissa was located 130 miles southwest of Kingston, which is Jamaica’s capital, characterized by the winds of 160mph.

The wind speed of the hurricane has placed it in the highest Category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane scale.

Given the wind speed, it is predicted to intensify even further, inundating Jamaica.

Since 1988, Hurricane Melissa is the most powerful storm to threaten the region. Previously, Hurricane Gilbert hit Jamaica nearly forty years ago.

The storm will also bring 15 to 30 inches of landfall coupled with extreme gusts of winds and deadly storm-surge on the southern coast.

Some areas will witness up to 40 inches, equivalent to the parts of Island which receive such rain the whole year.

Mountainous areas will experience around 30 percent higher wind speeds, stronger than the actual storm.

The US National Hurricane Center (NHC) in Miami alerted people with potential risks of infrastructural damage and remained in their homes till the passing of the storm which would last through Tuesday.

According to Desmond Mackenzie, Jamaica’s minister of local government and community development, “many Jamaican communities will not survive this flooding.”