ORLANDO, Fla. – Hurricane Melissa has secured its place in weather history after making multiple destructive landfalls across the Caribbean, becoming one of the most powerful storms ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.
The storm’s first landfall struck Jamaica on Tuesday with catastrophic force, followed by a second, still-dangerous impact in eastern Cuba roughly 14 hours later.
Jamaica Landfall
Melissa made its first major landfall on the southwest coast of Jamaica near the town of New Hope early Tuesday. At the time, maximum sustained winds were estimated at 185 mph, with a minimum central pressure near 892 millibars.
[VIDEO BELOW: Cat-5 hurricane hits Jamaica]
Records
Those numbers place Melissa among the most powerful hurricanes ever recorded.
The storm now ties both the infamous 1935 Labor Day Hurricane and Hurricane Dorian in 2019 for the strongest Atlantic storm at landfall, based on sustained wind speed.
In terms of pressure, Melissa also ties the 1935 hurricane as the third most intense Atlantic storm on record.
This was the first time in recorded history that a Category 5 hurricane made landfall in Jamaica. The island endured devastating winds, massive storm surge and widespread flooding, with reports of structural damage and power outages across the southern coast.
Cuba Landfall
After tearing across Jamaica, Melissa moved northeast toward Cuba, making its second landfall along the southern coast of eastern Cuba, near the city of Chivirico in Santiago de Cuba province, around 3:10 a.m.
Although weaker than before, Melissa remained an extremely dangerous hurricane, with maximum sustained winds near 120 mph.
The storm brought torrential rain, flooding and damaging gusts across eastern Cuba’s mountainous terrain before continuing its path toward the Bahamas.