Melissa downgraded to Category 4 hurricane after landfall in Jamaica

Hurricane Melissa’s sustained winds on Tuesday morning hit speeds of 175 mph, making it the strongest storm on the planet this year. The storm initially made landfall near New Hope, Jamaica ,Tuesday at noon local time as a Category 5 hurricane, but by 4 p.m. local time it was downgraded to a Category 4 hurricane, according to a spokesman for the Meteorological Service of Jamaica. At that time Melissa's center was located about 15 miles east on Montego Bay. Jamaica on Tuesday was pummeled with flash flooding, landslides, destructive winds, and storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm is also the strongest to hit Jamaica since the island started recordkeeping 174 years ago, according to the Associated Press.

The National Hurricane Center predicted that Jamaica would receive 15 to 30 inches of rain. Life-threatening storm surge waves up to 13 feet above ground level were also expected to hit the country’s south coast.

Hours before the storm hit, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness said the country’s infrastructure would struggle to withstand the Category 5 hurricane. He said the question is now about the speed of recovery.

Where will the hurricane head next? Melissa is expected to move to southeastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, and then on to southeastern or central Bahamas later that same day, the National Hurricane Center said. Cuba could get up to 25 inches of rainfall and experience storm surge waves between 7 to 11 feet. Additionally, the Turks and Caicos Islands will likely experience tropical storm conditions on Wednesday.

Has the hurricane caused any deaths? At least seven deaths were blamed on Melissa as of Tuesday morning. Christopher Tufton, Jamaica’s minister of health and wellness, said on Monday that the three people died while preparing for the storm. The deaths occurred while trees were being cut down, Tufton said. Two people died after trees fell on them, while the third person was electrocuted.

At least four deaths were also reported in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, according to BBC.

Dig deeper: Read Lauren Canterberry’s report on how Jamaica has prepared for Melissa.