Hurricane Melissa has joined the list of the most powerful hurricanes in Atlantic history, the US National Hurricane Center confirmed.
The Category 5 storm made landfall in Jamaica on October 28 with sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h), tying with Hurricane Dorian (2019) and the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest landfall winds on record. Melissa’s minimum central pressure dropped to 892 millibars, matching the 1935 storm and ranking just behind Hurricane Gilbert (1988) and Hurricane Wilma (2005), which recorded even lower readings.
Scientists say extreme storms like Melissa highlight the growing strength of hurricanes fueled by record ocean temperatures and human-driven climate change.
Indeed, hurricanes are becoming more frequent and intense. So what, exactly, is causing these storms to become even more of a threat? Click through now to find out.