Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 hurricane -- one of the most powerful hurricane landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin. Melissa, which is now a Category 4 hurricane, is bringing catastrophic winds, rain and storm surge to Jamaica, where residents and tourists are sheltering in place.

Tuesday 5 p.m. The National Hurricane Center warned about major flash flooding, landslides and strong winds in Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Eastern Cuba as the latter country braced for the Category 4 hurricane Tuesday evening.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as the strongest storm — and only Category 5 hurricane — ever recorded in the nation’s history.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel urged residents on Tuesday (October 28) to relocate to safe areas ahead of Hurricane Melissa’s approach to eastern Cuba.

Cuba is bracing for Hurricane Melissa as it heads towards Santiago de Cuba, the island’s second-largest city, threatening catastrophic damage at a time the government is already failing to provide the most basic services and thousands are sick because of the rise of mosquito-transmitted diseases and other illnesses linked to poor sanitary conditions.

Historic, life-threatening flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of Jamaica, southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend, the NHC said. Peak storm surge heights could reach 9 to 13 feet above normal tide levels when the storm makes landfall, accompanied by large and powerfully destructive waves.

Jamaica is expected to be in the storm's eyewall, which refers to the band of dense clouds surrounding the eye of the hurricane. The eyewall generally produces the fiercest winds and heaviest rainfall, according to Deanna Hence, a professor of climate, meteorology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.