Hurricane Melissa is set to make landfall on the southern coast of Jamaica on the morning of Oct. 28, bringing with it catastrophic winds, flash flooding, and storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.
In a 5 a.m. ET advisory on Oct. 28, the hurricane center said Melissa was located about 115 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica with maximum sustained winds near 175 mph with higher gusts. Forecasters said some "fluctuations in intensity" are likely before Melissa makes landfall.
The NHC said in the advisory the core of Melissa is expected to move over Jamaica Tuesday, Oct. 28, across southeastern Cuba Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, and across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday.
"Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas," the NHC said in the advisory.
Torrential downpours that could produce 15 to 30 inches of rain, with as much as 40 inches of rain possible in isolated locations, are also expected to contribute to deadly landslides in the island's mountainous terrain, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
