As we reported earlier, Melissa ranks as the most powerful hurricane ever to make a direct strike on Jamaica.
Across the broader Atlantic, however, Melissa stood out for several extraordinary reasons:
It matched the record for the strongest hurricane to make landfall anywhere in the Atlantic basin, with sustained winds reaching 185 mph.
With a central pressure of 892 mb, Melissa also equaled the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the most intense landfalling storm on record.