The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) continues to track Hurricane Melissa in the Carribean after landfall in Jamaica and Cuba with sights set on the Bahamas Wednesday.
Few Hurricane Melissa live cams from Jamaica and the local beaches continue to show aftermath of the hurricane except in Jamaica’s capital of Kingston, which was least affected by the tropical storm.
According to AccuWeather.com, a Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, at 1 p.m. ET Tuesday. A second landfall occurred near Chivirico, Cuba, at 3:10 a.m. ET Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, which is currently at Category 2.
Florida and the United States are not considered to be at risk.
Here’s what we know:
How is Jamaica? Hurricane Melissa photos show Jamaica hurricane damage today
The Associated Press reported at least one death during the storm in Jamaica Wednesday where a tree reportedly fell on a baby, while AccuWeather.com cited seven deaths throughout the Caribbean leading up to the Hurricane Melissa’s landfall in Jamaica.
Daryl Vaz − the Jamaican Minister of Energy, Transport and Telecommunications − told AccuWeather that Kingston was spared the worst of the hurricane. Western parts of the island weren’t so lucky and experienced “total devastation.”
Hurricane Melissa also caused “total communication blackout” in the region, according to officials.
Jamaica hurricane: Hurricane Melissa Jamaica live stream cam videos show weather aftermath of Caribbean storm today
Jamaica hurricane live cam video replay in Montego Bay: Watch Hurricane Melissa landfall strike in Caribbean
Jamaica live stream replay video in Treasure Beach: Watch Hurricane Melissa landfall in Treasure Beach
Hurricane Melissa crushes Caribbean: Jamaica photos as tropical storm impacts Kingston, Montego Bay, Treasure Beach
Where is Hurricane Melissa now? Cuba now, as Bahamas face tropical storm landfall next. Path tracker of forecasted Category 2 storm
The National Hurricane Center reported Hurricane Melissa’s maximum sustained winds are around 105 mph, as the storm was centered about 40 miles northwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, and 205 miles south of the central Bahamas, around 8 a.m. Wednesday morning. Movement was at approximately 14 mph and continues toward the north-northeast. Click here for the key updates.
Special note on the NHC cone: The forecast track shows the most likely path of the center of the storm. It does not illustrate the full width of the storm or its impacts, and the center of the storm is likely to travel outside the cone up to 33% of the time.
Hurricane Melissa spaghetti models, landfall path trajectory
Special note about spaghetti models: Spaghetti model illustrations include an array of forecast tools and models, and not all are created equal. The Hurricane Center uses only the top four or five highest performing models to help make its forecasts.
Hurricane Melissa weather satellite graphics, images
Chris Sims is a digital content producer at Midwest Connect Gannett. Follow him on Twitter: @ChrisFSims.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: How is Jamaica? Hurricane Melissa damage leaves ‘total devastation’ in west. See photos, live cams
Reporting by Chris Sims, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
