KINGSTON — Jamaica just took a hit from nature at its fiercest.
Hurricane Melissa roared ashore Tuesday afternoon as a monstrous Category 5 storm — the strongest ever to strike the island of 2.8 million.
Near the town of New Hope, about 62 kilometers south of Montego Bay, Melissa unleashed sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph).
To put that in perspective, the threshold for a Category 5 hurricane is “only” 157 mph.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center didn’t mince words — total structural failure is likely in the storm’s path.
Jamaica Faces Historic Storm
“This could be unlike anything Jamaica has ever seen,” warned AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert, Alex DaSilva.
The country has never before endured a direct hit from a Category 4 or 5 hurricane in recorded history.
Melissa ranks among the most intense Caribbean hurricanes on record — behind only Wilma (2005) and Gilbert (1988).
And as it churns across Jamaica’s mountainous heart toward Cuba’s Santiago de Cuba, landslides and catastrophic flooding loom large.
Already, power is out for more than a third of Jamaicans, with some parishes nearly blacked out entirely. Nearly 6,000 people have fled to shelters.
For an island that’s weathered plenty, Melissa is a chilling reminder — even paradise has its breaking point.
