Hurricane Melissa roared to Category 5 strength on Monday as it churned toward Jamaica, where forecasters warned of catastrophic flooding, deadly landslides and widespread infrastructure damage.
The storm was expected to make landfall on the island Tuesday before barreling across Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.
As of early Monday, Melissa was centered about 135 miles (220 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and roughly 320 miles (515 kilometers) southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.
Melissa packed maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) and was creeping west at 3 mph (5 kph), the center said.
Category 5 is the highest level on the Saffir-Simpson scale, with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph (250 kph). Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history forecast to directly strike the small Caribbean nation.
