“The storm is sitting 120 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica and inching west at 5 mph,” Gulf Coast News Now reported.
It hit hurricane status on Saturday afternoon and is forecast to become a Category 5 in the next few days.
“Hurricane-force winds are set to sweep the island starting Sunday evening. Hurricane conditions will likely make it to eastern Cuba Tuesday into Wednesday,” the report noted.
The storm is also expected to drop several feet of rainfall that could result in dangerous mudslides on the islands, the Weather Channel said Sunday.
Per the Gulf Coast News Now article,
A hurricane warning was issued for Jamaica and a hurricane watch is active for portions of Haiti and parts of Cuba. Parts of Haiti are also under a tropical storm warning.
Torrential rain, with isolated areas receiving totals as high as 40″, is on the way for parts of the Caribbean. Flash flooding and landslides are likely due to the intense rain in parts of Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica.
Meanwhile, Kingston residents have been buying supplies as they brace for the storm’s arrival, per NBC News. The outlet noted officials are telling people to heed warnings and take every safety measure.
One resident who spoke to the outlet said, “One, two, three, four hurricanes passed us here. Nothing happens, so we are confident that we feel safe.”
In a social media post on Saturday night, Senior Meteorologist for Fox 35, Noah Bergren, said, “WOW, unbelievable. My worst fear is coming true. This will be a historic and deadly hurricane for Jamaica. One of the worst natural disasters from a hurricane in a long time.”
“I pray that people on the island are taking the warnings seriously. Melissa is going to challenge the mathematical limit of intensity by Monday,” he continued, adding, “The eye has appeared on satellite as of this post and this will be the 1st Category 5 hurricane ever in known history to strike Jamaica.”
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