Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica.
Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica after the storm made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.
After lashing Jamaica with dangerous winds and flooding rain, Melissa made a second landfall in Cuba as a Category 3 hurricane on Wednesday morning. Melissa then moved through the Bahamas, and next, on Thursday night, the storm will pass Bermuda as a Category 1 or 2 hurricane.
Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane, has strengthened even further and is now packing winds up to 175 mph.
Catastrophic and life-threatening hurricane-force wind conditions are expected to begin in Jamaica Monday night and continue into early Tuesday.
People should be prepared for buildings to fall apart, especially in higher elevation areas where wind speeds could be up to 30% stronger.
The Navy this weekend moved 1,000 nonessential personnel, family members, residents and pets from Naval Station Guantanamo Bay ahead of Hurricane Melissa.
“We're monitoring the storm's progress very closely and taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of our personnel and the readiness of our bases," Navy Region Southeast commander Rear Adm. John Hewitt said in a statement.
-ABC News’ Luis Martinez
Hurricane Melissa is a worst-case scenario storm for Jamaica and is expected to ravage the island’s infrastructure.
Melissa is forecast to wash away roads, destroy homes and knock out electricity, leaving communities isolated, meteorologists said.
All major airports in Jamaica have closed, leaving residents and many American tourists stranded.
In Kingston, grocery store shelves have emptied as families prepare to shelter in place.
Hurricane Melissa is located 145 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and is expected to turn north on Monday to make landfall on the island around sunrise on Tuesday.
Melissa, which is a Category 5 hurricane churning with powerful 165 mph winds, remains a worst-case scenario storm for Jamaica.
Widespread heavy rain is already underway and is expected to last continuously through Tuesday afternoon, leading to life-threatening flooding and landslides.
Catastrophic winds are anticipated, especially on Tuesday morning.
Record storm surge is also forecast for the southern coast, with Kingston possibly getting hit the hardest.
-ABC News’ Kenton Gewecke
