Hurricane Melissa, which hit Jamaica on Tuesday with winds of nearly 300 kilometres (185 miles) per hour, is the most powerful tropical storm recorded this year globally, according to an AFP analysis of US weather data.
The Category 5 hurricane is the most potent in terms of wind speed and pressure, surpassing typhoon Ragasa, which lashed east Asia in September and had winds of 267 kilometres per hour, according to the analysed data from the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
