Hurricane Melissa, a full-blown, history-making Category 5 monster is barreling straight for Jamaica. While residents and tourists are bracing for impact, storm hunters had other plans.
The U.S. Air Force’s storm hunters…the folks crazy enough to fly into the chaos… just dropped footage from inside the eye of the storm. The clip is wild: calm skies in the center, but walls of pure fury spinning around them. It’s the calm before a catastrophic storm, and Jamaica is in its direct path.
RELATED:Hurricane Melissa Approaches Jamaica, Expected to Be the Island’s Most Powerful Storm on Record
According to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa’s eye is now approaching Jamaica’s southwestern coast — and she’s packing winds up to 185 mph. That officially makes her one of the most intense hurricanes ever recorded in the region.
The NHC isn’t mincing words this time either. They’ve switched to hourly advisories, telling folks this is literally it.
“This is an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation,” the NHC said. “Take cover now! Failure to adequately shelter may result in serious injury, and loss of life. Residents in Jamaica that experience the eye should not leave their shelter as winds will rapidly increase within the backside of the eyewall of Melissa.”
Translation: don’t be fooled when it suddenly gets quiet, that’s just Melissa catching her breath before she comes back swinging.
For days, Jamaican officials have been begging people to get ready stock up, hunker down, and brace for what’s coming. Supermarkets have been jam-packed, gas stations lined for miles, and folks snatching up every last gallon of water and loaf of bread they can find. Still, the fear is real that even the sturdiest buildings might not hold up under winds this powerful.
Experts are warning these 185-mph gusts could cause “total structural failure” near the storm’s core, meaning roofs gone, walls ripped apart, and communities flattened.
Melissa’s been teasing the Caribbean all week, spinning erratically over warm waters, growing stronger by the hour. Now she’s being pulled north-northeast by a cold front, setting her on a path that could slice right through the heart of Jamaica.
While most people are sheltering inside, Prime Minister Andrew Holness admitted some areas are still seeing low shelter turnout which is a worrying sign as the outer bands of the storm already bring flooding and power outages.
However, the NHC continues to stress urgency:
“Remain sheltered,” the agency said. “Catastrophic flash flooding, landslides and destructive winds will continue through today, causing widespread infrastructure damage, power and communication outages and isolated communities.”
Right now, the island is holding its breath. The winds are roaring louder, the rain is pounding harder, and the clock is ticking down. Melissa is at the doorstep and she’s not coming quietly.