The Category 5 hurricane, with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kilometres per hour), tied the record for the strongest Atlantic hurricane to ever hit land.
The storm cut diagonally across Jamaica, entering through St. Elizabeth parish in the south and moving north toward St. Ann parish. Authorities warned of a life-threatening storm surge of up to 13 feet (four metres) along the southern coast and said that further preparation was no longer possible. Damage assessments were expected to take time due to the severity of the conditions and blocked roads.
Melissa has already been blamed for at least seven deaths across the Caribbean — three in Jamaica, three in Haiti, and one in the Dominican Republic. The hurricane is forecast to make landfall in eastern Cuba late Tuesday or early Wednesday, raising concerns of further destruction as the region braces for continued heavy rain and strong winds.
