Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in eastern Cuba as Category 3 storm
A man crosses the street while using a plastic sheet to protect himself from the rain as Hurricane Melissa is churning towards Cuba, after making landfall in Jamaica, in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba, Oct. 28. Reuters-Yonhap
SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba — Hurricane Melissa made landfall in eastern Cuba early Wednesday as a Category 3 storm after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.
Hundreds of thousands of people had been evacuated to shelters in Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas.
Early Wednesday, Melissa had top sustained winds of 120 mph (193 kph) and was moving northeast at 10 mph (16 kph) according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered 20 miles (32 kilometers) east of Chivirico and about 60 miles (97 kilometers) west-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.
Melissa was forecast to cross the island through the morning and move into the Bahamas later Wednesday. The continuing intense rain could cause life-threatening flooding with numerous landslides, U.S. forecasters said.
Melissa struck Jamaica on Tuesday with top sustained winds of 185 mph (295 kph).