Hurricane Melissa Makes Landfall on Cuba’s Southern Coast as a Category 3 Storm

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba today as a Category 3 storm on the Saffir-Simpson scale. With sustained winds of up to 205 kilometers per hour and higher gusts. The eyewall of Melissa made landfall shortly after 3:00 AM this Wednesday in the municipality of Guama, Santiago de Cuba, specifically at El Francés beach.

Specialists warn that this hydrometeorological event is a powerful cyclone that generates intense rainfall and storm surges in coastal areas. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 kilometers from the center. While tropical storm-force winds reach up to 315 kilometers.

On Tuesday, Melissa became the third most intense hurricane recorded in the North Atlantic basin. After reaching maximum sustained winds of up to 295 kilometers per hour. While the central pressure dropped to 892 hectopascals.

The list is headed by Hurricane Wilma, of October 2005, with a minimum pressure of 882 hPa. Followed by Gilbert (September 1988), which had 888 hPa, according to the online edition of the Granma newspaper.

The current cyclonic system ranks third, tied with the so-called Labor Day Hurricane (September 1935), whose minimum pressure was 892 hPa. Previously, Melissa caused extensive damage in Jamaica when it made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane, with winds of nearly 300 km/h.

With information from Prensa Latina

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