Melissa could set record as strongest hurricane in northern Caribbean

ORLANDO, Fla. — The tropics have been quiet over the past week, but recovery efforts continue in the northern Caribbean from historic Hurricane Melissa.

Melissa will easily go down in the record books as one of the worst storms in that region, and possibly one of the worst storms ever in the modern era.

The major hurricane was the strongest to make landfall in the Atlantic basin in 90 years, equaled only by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that slammed South Florida.

Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 185 mph as it roared ashore in Jamaica, creating catastrophic damage across a swath of western sections of the island.

Entire brick structures were demolished, homes were wiped down to their foundations, and trees were actually debarked from the extreme winds.

The damage path of Melissa did not end in Jamaica. The storm went on to make landfall in eastern Cuba as a Category 3 major hurricane and did severe damage to the eastern end of the island.

Melissa also crossed the southern Bahamas, where damage was reported as the storm finally exited to the northeast.

While damage assessment is continuing, preliminary estimates are up to $4 billion in insured damages that potentially occurred in Jamaica.

The good news is the tropics remain quiet as we head into the weekend and will likely stay that way for much of next week.

Stay with Severe Weather Center 9 for the latest on the tropics.