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.”

Melissa is now a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane wind scale, the U.S. Hurricane Center said on Saturday. The hurricane was located about 280 miles (450 km) from Port-au-Prince, Haiti,

Melissa sets its sights on Bermuda after its historic Category 5 landfall in Jamaica and major hurricane lashing in eastern Cuba. Here's the very latest forecast and recap, so far.

Jamaica is expected to be in the storm's eyewall, which refers to the band of dense clouds surrounding the eye of the hurricane. The eyewall generally produces the fiercest winds and heaviest rainfall, according to Deanna Hence, a professor of climate, meteorology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

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.

Satellites around Earth are watching as a powerful Hurricane Melissa travels toward Jamaica.

John Morales, a meteorologist with NBC New York, is going viral for his raw reaction during an on-air segment before the storm made landfall Tuesday. In a clip posted to social media, Morales' fellow meteorologist Adam Berg shared that a new advisory had been released by the National Hurricane Center.

Influencer Hannah Grubbs is facing criticism after posting content from her trip to Jamaica amid Hurricane Melissa. The tropical cyclone is expected to hit the island on Oct. 28. At least seven people have died in connection with the Category 5 storm,

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