Hi, I’m Nicole Mortillaro, a senior science reporter with CBC in Toronto. I’ll be providing you with some scientific context about Hurricane Melissa.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center issued a special public advisory at 9 a.m. ET. It was a stark reminder of just how dangerous this hurricane is.
“The eye of Melissa is nearing the southern coast of Jamaica and is expected to make landfall within the next few hours,” it said. “This is an extremely dangerous and a life-threatening situation. Take action now to protect your life!”
Its hurricane hunter aircraft found that Melissa is actually strengthening, with maximum sustained winds of 290 km/h.
Hurricanes are measured on the Saffir-Simpson scale, from Category 1 to Category 5. A Category 5 is the most powerful, with winds of 252 km/h or higher.
Another update is expected around 11 a.m. ET.
