With sustained winds of 175 mph and a powerful central pressure of 906 millibars — among the 11 lowest on record — Melissa will go down as not only Jamaica’s strongest hurricane but among the most powerful of all time and part of an ultrarare trio in 2025.

Hours from landfall, Hurricane Melissa is also slow moving like Hurricane Harvey in 2017, which could mean catastrophic flooding.

Hurricane Melissa is packing sustained winds of up to 175 m/h (282 km/h) as the slow-moving Category 5 storm barrels towards Jamaica, in what could be the largest on record for the Caribbean island.

This late-season surprise behemoth went beyond 'extreme' rapid intensification and now ties Katrina and Andrew as the 10th strongest hurricane ever recorded.

Unusually warm ocean temperatures fueled one of the worst hurricanes on record. New research finds climate change increased the storm’s likelihood.

Here is Melissa’s forecast path: The hurricane-force winds will begin in western Jamaica on Tuesday morning and last until the evening. Melissa will likely remain at Category 5 strength by the time it makes landfall in Jamaica midday or early afternoon Tuesday.

Jamaica residents are bracing themselves for potentially the most devastating storm to ever hit the nation. Hurricane Melissa is threatening to unleash catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and towering storm surges across the Caribbean.