Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 storm with winds in excess of 160 miles per hour (mph) is inching towards Jamaica on Monday and is expected to move near or over the Caribbean island on Tuesday.
The latest bulletin from the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said that Melissa and its ‘destructive winds and storm surge and catastrophic flooding ‘will worsen on Jamaica through the day and into tonight.
The hurricane is about 130 miles, south, south west of Kingston, and is moving towards the west at three mph
‘A slow turn toward the northwest and north is expected today and tonight, followed by a northeastward acceleration beginning on Tuesday and continuing through at least Thursday,’ the NHC said, adding that on the forecast track, the core of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica tonight and Tuesday, across southeastern Cuba Tuesday night, and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, Cuban provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, and Holguin, while a hurricane watch is in effect for southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands.