Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica around 1 p.m. ET on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center said. With maximum sustained winds of 185 mph, it’s “one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic Basin.”
About an hour after making landfall in southwestern Jamaica, near New Hope, the storm remained an “extremely dangerous” Category 5. Maximum sustained winds were about 165 mph with higher wind gusts, and the storm was moving at 8 mph.
NHC meteorologists said that “catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and storm surge” are occurring on the island of Jamaica.
“Do not leave your shelter as the eye passes over, as winds will quickly, and rapidly increase on the other side of the eye. Residents should remain in place through the passage of these life-threatening conditions,” the NHC warned earlier. “To protect yourself from wind, the best thing you can do is put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. An interior room without windows, ideally one where you can also avoid falling trees, is the safest place you can be in a building. You can cover yourself with a mattress and wear a helmet for added protection.”
Melissa has been blamed for at least seven deaths. At least three people were killed by the storm in Haiti over the weekend, and a fourth died in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing. In Jamaica, officials said at least three people died ahead of Melissa’s arrival.
Follow our live blog below for the latest on the storm, its path and its impact.
Live46 updates