Maximum sustained winds from the Category 5 storm are near 175 mph with higher gusts, according to the latest data from the NHC.

Hurricane Melissa has intensified to a category five storm, meaning it could become the strongest hurricane in recorded history to directly hit Jamaica.

The island could see up to 30 inches of rain as the storm squeezes moisture from the sky, like a massive atmospheric sponge, potentially causing “catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides,”...