KINGSTON, Jamaica – Violent shaking was recorded on a live camera in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday morning as tropical-storm-force wind gusts howled through the streets of the island nation’s capital ahead of the catastrophic landfall of Category 5 Hurricane Melissa.
According to the FOX Forecast Center, a 59-mph wind gust was recorded in Kingston close to the time of this recording.
Hurricane Melissa’s maximum sustained winds have consistently topped 170 mph since Monday, as the storm bears down on Jamaica with landfall expected sometime Tuesday morning or afternoon.
WATCH FOX WEATHER’S LIVE COVERAGE OF HURRICANE MELISSA
Rain is drenching Jamaica ahead of potentially historic landfall from devastating Category 5 Hurricane Melissa. FOX Weather Correspondent Robert Ray has the latest conditions from St. Ann Parish.
According to a Tuesday morning advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC), hurricane-force winds of 75 mph or higher extend 30 miles from the eye of Hurricane Melissa.
Tropical-storm-force winds of 40 mph or higher cover an area 195 miles from the storm’s center.
Along the southern coast of Jamaica, a life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves lashing beaches are likely.
The NHC issued an ominous warning to residents of Jamaica in its latest forecast discussion: “Failure to act may result in serious injury or loss of life.”
Most people across Jamaica have been seeking shelter inside sturdy structures, but Jamaica Prime Minister Andrew Holness said shelter occupancy has been low in some parishes.
