"Hurricane Melissa has rapidly strengthened into a major Category 3 with potentially catastrophic consequences, as it dropped torrential rain in the northern Caribbean and threatened disastrous flooding and landslides in Jamaica and southern Haiti. Forecasters in the United States warned Saturday that the lumbering Melissa is expected to gain strength when making landfall in Jamaica in the coming day or two."
"It had maximum sustained winds of 185 kilometres per hour (115 miles per hour), the hurricane centre said. Authorities in Jamaica said on Saturday that the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston will be closed. They did not say whether they will close the Sangster airport in Montego Bay, on the western side of the island. More than 650 shelters were activated in Jamaica. Officials said warehouses across the island were well-stocked and thousands of food packages prepositioned for quick distribution if needed."
Melissa rapidly intensified into a major Category 3 hurricane and is expected to strengthen further before making landfall in Jamaica within a day or two. The storm was centred about 200 km south-southeast of Kingston and about 455 km west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, with maximum sustained winds near 185 km/h. Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston was closed and more than 650 shelters were activated across Jamaica; warehouses and thousands of food packages were prepositioned. Melissa could drop up to 76 cm of rain on Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, and should be near or over Cuba by midweek. The slow-moving storm has already caused multiple deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Read at www.aljazeera.com
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