Watch live as Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica with catastrophic flooding expected. Hurricane Melissa rapidly strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane as it unleashed torrential rain in the northern Caribbean and threatened catastrophic flooding and landslides in Jamaica and southern Haiti.

Hurricane Melissa has rapidly intensified into a major Category 4 storm, producing maximum sustained wind speeds of 145 mph. If it maintains its strength, it could become the strongest hurricane to make landfall over the island since the National Hurricane Center started keeping records.

Hurricane Melissa has hit Cuba after leaving a trail of destruction in Jamaica, though the full extent of its impact remains unclear. Watch and follow live below.

Jamaica is bracing for what could be the most intense storm in its history as Hurricane Melissa rapidly approaches with powerful Category 5 winds. The hurricane is expected to gather speed and batter the Caribbean country with up to 76 centimetres (30 inches) of rain when it makes landfall on Tuesday.

There is no infrastructure in the region that can withstand a Category 5,” Prime Minister Andrew Holness said.

Jamaican officials warned Sunday that some communities may not survive “catastrophic” flash floods as Hurricane Melissa, a powerful Category 4 storm, inched slowly toward the island. Melissa was packing maximum sustained winds of 145 mph and moving west at 5 mph,

The updates sent by friends and neighbors on WhatsApp confirmed what fisher Prince Davis already feared: Hurricane Melissa put a hole in the stern of his 50-foot (15-meter) fishing boat, and damaged the cabin and back deck.