Hurricane Melissa strengthens dramatically with 300 km/h winds: “Last chance to protect your life” (Live feed)

Hurricane Melissa continues to intensify arsenic it approaches Jamaica, with sustained winds reaching 300 kilometers per hr astatine its center, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The upwind velocity makes Melissa the second astir almighty tempest successful Atlantic history, aft Hurricane Allen successful 1980, which reached 305 kilometers per hour. Authorities are urging residents to instantly determination to harmless shelters and to spot arsenic galore walls arsenic imaginable betwixt themselves and the outside. “This is your past accidental to support your life,” the Center’s connection warns.

Evan Thompson, manager of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service, says the hurricane volition origin “life-threatening damage” upon landfall. “There is precise small that tin halt a Category 5 hurricane,” helium said, adding that the tempest is astir 75 kilometers (46 miles) from arrival. He emphasized that the hurricane is apt to marque landfall successful Westmoreland oregon St. Elizabeth, connected Jamaica’s occidental coast, earlier gradually weakening to Category 4 arsenic it moves crossed the island.

The hurricane is expected to deed onshore erstwhile the eye’s halfway afloat passes implicit the coast, thing expected to hap wrong the adjacent fewer hours, raising fears of terrible harm to infrastructure and powerfulness networks.

Nearly 250,000 radical person already mislaid powerfulness successful Jamaica, according to the country’s vigor minister. “The electrical grid has already been affected by the hurricane’s conditions, causing aggregate powerfulness outages crossed the island,” said Daryl Vaz during a property conference.

Meanwhile, meteorologist Jeremy DeHart posted a video connected X from wrong the monolithic “eye” of the hurricane.