Tropical Storm Melissa now a hurricane, US agency says
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WASHINGTON – Tropical Storm Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane and is expected to become a major hurricane by the end of the weekend, the US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) said on Oct 25.
Hurricane Melissa is located about 380km south-west of Port-au-Prince in Haiti, packing maximum sustained winds of 120kmh, the NHC said in its latest advisory.
A hurricane warning is in place for Jamaica, and the NHC said life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica into early next week.
The centre of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica during the weekend and early next week, the NHC said, adding that it could be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.
A hurricane watch is in effect for the south-western peninsula of Haiti, from Port-au-Prince to the border with the Dominican Republic, according to the NHC advisory. REUTERS
Trees being pruned in Cuba on Oct 25, ahead of the arrival of Tropical Storm Melissa, which has since strengthened into a hurricane.
PHOTO: AFP
