Hurricane Melissa is a Category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with a maximum of 5, with maximum sustained winds of 220 kilometers per hour and higher gusts, according to the latest report of the U.S National Hurricane Center.

Havana, Cuba – The storm rapidly intensified southeast of Jamaica Saturday night and early Sunday morning, and its central pressure is now 946 hectopascals.

At 2:00 p.m., the central region of Hurricane Melissa was estimated near latitude 16.4 North, longitude 76.9 West, approximately 180 kilometers south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 460 kilometers south-southwest of Guantánamo.

Melissa is moving on a near-westerly course at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour. A slow westward motion is expected today, followed by a turn to the north and northeast on Monday and Tuesday.

Strengthening is forecast over the next day, followed by fluctuations in intensity. Melissa is expected to be a powerful major hurricane when it makes landfall in Jamaica on Monday night or Tuesday morning and southeastern Cuba late Tuesday.

Meteorologists predict that the outer bands of this system will gradually increase cloudiness and precipitation in eastern Cuba. Strong swells are expected to begin this Sunday in the seas south of the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, and Guantánamo.

The Forecast Center of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) is closely monitoring the evolution and future path of this high-intensity hurricane, which poses a great danger to Cuba.

(With information by Agencies)