The first Category 5 hurricane to hit Jamaica made landfall on Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa struck near the western city of New Hope, according to the National Hurricane Center. The major hurricane’s sustained winds were clocked at 185 mph upon arrival, making it the strongest storm to ever hit the nation.
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The storm has already reportedly caused multiple deaths, including three fatalities in Jamaica, three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. Jamaican authorities have urged residents to evacuate, but some have still refused, The New York Times reported.
One of the strongest to hit Atlantic basin since 2019
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Hurricane Patricia in 2015 had the strongest winds ever recorded for a hurricane, with speeds of 215 mph.
According to CNN, Melissa is also one of the strongest storms to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin since Hurricane Dorian in 2019. Dorian’s wind speeds were also reported at 185 mph as it hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.
The strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica before Melissa was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which was a Category 4 storm when it made landfall near Kingston. Category 4 storms carry maximum sustained winds of 130 mph to 156 mph.
Forecasts show that Melissa is set to track directly over Jamaica for a few hours. Meteorologists warn that the storm will bring destructive winds, torrential rain and life-threatening flooding.
