Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in the 174 years since records began

Hurricane Melissa is close to making landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the island in the 174 years since records began

Melissa is one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin. Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane -- one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.

Hurricane Melissa is set to pummel Jamaica as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, the strongest to lash the island since recordkeeping began 174 years ago

Melissa came ashore as a Category 5 storm in southwestern Jamaica with 185 miles-per-hour winds, according to the National Hurricane Center. Forecasters urged residents to not leave their homes, calling the devastating storm “an extremely dangerous and life-threatening situation.

Melissa, which is now a Category 4 hurricane, is bringing catastrophic winds, rain and storm surge to Jamaica, where residents and tourists are sheltering in place. The center of Melissa is now moving off the northwest coast of Jamaica as a Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds currently at 145 mph.

Hurricane Melissa has intensified into a Category 5 storm as it draws closer to Jamaica, where forecasters say it will unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage