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Melissa now a category 4 hurricane, NHC says

KINGSTON, Jamaica (Reuters) – Hurricane Melissa has developed into a Category 4 hurricane, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) said today, adding that the maximum sustained winds have increased to 140 mph (220 km/h).

The hurricane was located about 280 miles (450 km) from Guantanamo in Cuba, the NHC said.

Catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are probable across portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, the NHC said.

Melissa is expected to be a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica tomorrow night or Tuesday morning and southeastern Cuba late Tuesday, the Miami-based forecaster added.

The latest forecast was issued at 2 p.m. on October 26. All times are in Eastern Daylight Time. Hurricane-force winds are greater than 74 mph.

By REUTERS

Reporting by Gursimran Kaur and Gnaneshwar Rajan in Bengaluru; Editing by Tom Hogue, Aidan Lewis

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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