Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Cuba after pummelling Jamaica
Loading article...
Hurricane Melissa was grinding across Cuba on Wednesday, weakening to a Category 2 storm, after pummelling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, the US National Hurricane Center said.
Hundreds of thousands of people in Cuba had been evacuated to shelters.
A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Holguin and Las Tunas provinces as well as the southeastern and central Bahamas.
Melissa had top sustained winds of 105 mph (165 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 14 mph (22 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
The hurricane was centred 45 miles (70 kilometres) northwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, and 205 miles (335 kilometres) south of the central Bahamas.
The agency warned that preparations for the storm in the Bahamas “should be rushed to completion.”
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.