Hurricane Melissa: Landfall in Jamaica and Cuba, Category 5 Strength

Hurricane Melissa's Landfall and Strength

• 🌀 Hurricane Melissa made its first landfall near New Hope, Jamaica, at noon Dallas Fort Worth time, as a Category 5 storm with 185 mph winds.
• 📈 This wind speed ties it for the strongest hurricane at landfall, and its minimum central pressure of 892 millibars also ties it for the lowest pressure for a landfalling hurricane.
• ⚠️ The storm force and hurricane force wind radii were relatively small, with tropical storm force winds extending 195 miles and hurricane force winds only 30 miles from the center.
• 🌊 Significant storm surge of 10 to 13 ft was recorded along the southern Jamaican coast, with some locations receiving up to 40 inches of rain.

Second Landfall and Future Path

• 🎯 A second landfall in Cuba is imminent, with Melissa currently a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds, expected to hit the southeastern coast near Guantanamo Bay within hours.
• 🏝️ Following Cuba, the storm is forecast to make a third landfall in the Bahamas late Thursday night or early Friday morning.
• 🚢 Melissa is expected to stay off the coast of the United States, passing by Bermuda.

North Texas Weather Forecast

• ☀️ North Texas experienced a sunny afternoon and clear evening, with clear skies and chilly temperatures expected overnight.
• 🥶 The low temperature tonight is forecast to be 47 degrees, with wind chills in the 30s tomorrow morning.
• 💨 Tomorrow will be a cool, dry, and windy day with a high of only 62 degrees, cooler than normal.
• 📅 The forecast for the next 14 days shows mostly 70s, with another cool start on Thursday and pleasant temperatures for Halloween trick-or-treating.
• ⏰ Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend; remember to set clocks back one hour and change smoke detector batteries.