Hurricane Melissa roared ashore over western Jamaica at 1 p.m. EDT on October 28 as a high-end Category 5 storm, with 185 mph winds and a central pressure of 892 mb. The storm ties Melissa with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the strongest landfalling Atlantic hurricane on record. For Jamaicans, the destruction exceeded previous disasters, with catastrophic flooding, storm surge, and landslides across the western half of the island. Hurricane Melissa is now considered one of the most powerful storms in Atlantic history.

Meteorologists and residents alike followed Hurricane Melissa closely. The storm’s winds and rainfall already set historic records. Like Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, Hurricane Melissa caused extensive damage, but its intensity was amplified by climate change. Experts trackin

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