Hurricane Melissa followed what has unfortunately become a pattern for major storms: It formed late in the season, intensified rapidly, then stalled near the coast.

Hours from landfall, Hurricane Melissa is also slow moving like Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which could mean catastrophic flooding.

Hurricanes are classified on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which ranks storms based on their sustained wind speeds and estimates potential damage. The scale has five categories, ranging from Category 1,

Hurricane Melissa has often been described as a “monster hurricane.” In terms of intensity, that characterization is certainly accurate. However, when discussing a storm’s magnitude, it is important to distinguish between intensity and size.

In this episode of Kristen’s Classroom, Meteorologist Kristen Currie dives into the record books highlighting the most notable Atlantic hurricanes.

Names are retired if they are so deadly or costly that the future use of the name would be inappropriate for reasons of sensitivity, NOAA said.

The Bancroft Bridge was irreparably damaged after Hurricane Ida remnants hit in 2021. This October, the new bridge was unveiled.

Hurricane Melissa, which hit Jamaica as a Category 5 with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour, could bring up to 30 inches of rain.