Melissa underwent extreme rapid intensification, strengthening to a rare Category 5 with winds of 175 mph and stronger gusts, making it the strongest storm on the planet this year. Follow for live updates.

CNN News Central delivered urgent breaking news coverage regarding an intense storm building which is projected to bring 160 mph winds, 13 foot storm surges, and 40 inches of rain

Andy Hazelton, a hurricane hunter and modeler at the University of Miami, told me he has been flying morning missions into Melissa’s eye since Saturday. (I am a journalist-in-residence at the University of Miami but have not previously collaborated with Hazelton or any of the other hurricane experts I contacted for this story.

While Sandy in October 2012 was the last hurricane to come ashore in Jamaica, Hurricane Beryl tracked just south of the island as a Category 4 in July 2024. Floods and high winds caused damage to homes, crops and other infrastructure, especially in southern areas.