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.

The strength is measured by the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, which rates hurricanes from Category 1 to 5 based on wind speed.

Most of Jamaica remains without power, as our correspondent reports floods, mudslides and "palm trees tossed like toothpicks".

A Georgia Tech researcher says we may need more tools to measure the full impacts of strong hurricanes like Melissa.

Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a monster Category 5 storm early Monday, Oct. 27, as it churns slowly through the Caribbean.

The intensity of a hurricane is measured by its maximum sustained wind speed, and when that speed increases by at least 35 miles per hour in a 24-hour period — or roughly two categories on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale — meteorologists call that “rapid intensification.”

Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight after battering Jamaica as one of the most powerful landfalling storms in Atlantic basin history.