SANTIAGO DE CUBA, Cuba — Melissa began affecting the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Authorities in the Bahamas were evacuating dozens of people from the archipelago’s southeast corner ahead of Melissa’s arrival as a Category 1 storm.

Melissa’s center is forecast to move through the southeastern Bahamas later Wednesday, generating up to 7 feet (2 meters) of storm surge in the area. By late Thursday, the storm is expected to pass just west of Bermuda.

The extent of the damage from Melissa was unclear Wednesday as widespread power outages and dangerous conditions persisted in affected areas.

The hurricane initially made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record. The storm came asho

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