Hurricane Melissa has been classified as category 5 and is expected to be the strongest ever to hit Jamaica. The storm is moving slowly toward the island nation and has already caused at least four deaths in neighboring countries. Jamaica is preparing for strong winds and flooding.
Hurricane Melissa was classified as a category 5 storm by the US National Hurricane Center on Monday morning, the highest level on the scale. This makes it the strongest hurricane ever to sweep over Jamaica, according to meteorologist Lasse Rydqvist at Klart. "It breaks records as the strongest ever. No such powerful hurricane has been recorded over Jamaica before. They haven't even had up to category 3," he says.
The storm is moving slowly, at about five kilometers per hour, and is expected to hit Jamaica on Monday evening local time. Winds reach up to 79 meters per second, and up to one meter of rain could fall in a short time, risking life-threatening floods. Jamaica's Prime Minister Andrew Holness calls for prayers: "I urge all Jamaicans and all who wish Jamaica well to continue praying that this hurricane does not hit us directly." Social Security Minister Pearnel Charles warns: "Melissa is very slow and very, very, very intense. It means it can lead to enormous devastation and danger to life."
Thousands of Jamaicans are being evacuated by bus to shelters inland. Airports are closed, and grocery stores in Kingston are empty after mass buying. The hurricane has already caused four deaths – three in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic. After Jamaica, it is expected to move toward eastern Cuba, where over 1,000 people have been evacuated from the Guantánamo base and tens of thousands from coastal areas.
Further north, Melissa could reach France and the British Isles early next week, and then Sweden as a windy November low-pressure system, according to Rydqvist. "For us, it will perhaps be more like a classic November low. Windy and rainy," he says.