Hurricane Melissa has weakened to a Category 3, but warnings remain in effect for Cuba and the Bahamas. Winds reach up to 195 km/ha NHC expects major damage in affected areas.
Hurricane Melissa weakened to a Category 3 hurricane on the five-point scale Wednesday morning before it was expected to move over Cuba. The American National Hurricane Center (NHC) informed about it, writes TASR according to the reports of the Reuters, AP and AFP agencies.
Wind speeds reached 195 kilometers per hour when the fringes of the hurricane hit the southern coast of Cuba about 32 kilometers from the town of Chivirico, according to the NHC.
Damage in Jamaica
“Melissa is expected to remain a strong hurricane as it moves across Cuba and the Bahamas and passes near Bermuda,” the NHC said. One of the strongest hurricanes in history, accompanied by strong winds and torrential rains, left Jamaica with massive damage and claimed several lives on Tuesday.
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel announced that more than 700,000 people had been evacuated in the country before the intervention. According to meteorologists, the hurricane will cause enormous damage in the vicinity of the southern Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba and in other provinces. Several regions in the east and center of the island suspended classes in schools already on Monday.
Maximum wind speed
On Tuesday, the maximum wind speed reached up to 295 kilometers per hour, which, according to Reuters, puts Hurricane Melissa in category 5 with extensive or catastrophic damage. It was moving northeast at a speed of approximately 10 to 15 kilometers per hour.
