MAJOR Hurricane Melissa is the strongest storm on the planet right now! One of the ways to measure the strength of hurricanes is barometric pressure. As of the latest update, Melissa's barometric pressure is an astonishing 896 mb, which is extremely low pressure. This is an extremely intense Category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale.

Melissa was barely a tropical storm a week ago but rapidly intensified over this past weekend. As of the 9AM update, maximum sustained wind speeds have been estimated at 170-180 mph! The hurricane hunters clocked a wind gust of 241 mph at one point, which is one of the strongest wind gusts ever in a hurricane.

The hurricane is exhibiting a symmetrical storm structure, which underscores how powerful she is! The eye of Melissa is bearing down on Jamaica

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