Oct. 27 (UPI) -- Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm on Tuesday, the National Hurricane Center reported.
The eye of Melissa was situated about 40 miles southeast of Negril, Jamaica, and about 235 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, the National Hurricane Center said in its 11 a.m. EDT update. It slightly picked up speed, moving north-northeast at 9 mph.
Melissa's maximum sustained winds were 185 mph. Hurricanes are designated as the highest class when they reach 157 mph.
The storm's central pressure had also hit 892 millibars, producing a more powerful storm. It's rare for a hurricane to dip below 900 millibars, according to Phil Klotzbach, a senior hurricane researcher at Colorado State University.
Related
