Hurricane Melissa Jamaica Updates: Tourism Shutdowns and Economic Fallout Loom as Category 4 Storm Nears Landfall

Hurricane as seen from space (Credit: NASA/Unsplash)

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a powerful Category 4 storm in the Caribbean Sea, with maximum sustained winds of around 140 miles per hour (225 kilometres per hour).

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) reports that the system is moving slowly westward at roughly 5 miles per hour, a sluggish pace that increases the risk of heavy and prolonged rainfall across Jamaica.