(NEW YORK) — Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane — one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin — and is now continuing its path of destruction through the Caribbean.
Melissa tore through Jamaica on Tuesday with 185 mph winds, making the storm the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall on the island. The previous record was set by Category 4 Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.
Rain totals in Jamaica could be up to 2 feet, with up to 30 inches in higher elevations. Jamaica’s prime minister has declared the country a disaster area.
Early Wednesday morning, Melissa made landfall in Cuba with 120 mph winds. Cuba faced a storm surge of up to 12 feet and could be inundated with 25 inches of rain in higher elevations.
Now, Melissa is heading toward the Bahamas as a Category 2 storm.
In the southeastern Bahamas, 5 to 10 inches of rain is expected and a storm surge of 5 to 8 feet is possible.
The storm is then expected to pass closely to Bermuda on Thursday night.
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