Hurricane Melissa remains a powerful Category 5 storm with winds of 175 mph that is forecast to slam into Jamaica as the worst storm the island has ever seen.Here is Melissa’s forecast path:  Hurricane Melissa live updates: Storm upgraded to Category 5 on approach to JamaicaThe catastrophic and life-threatening hurricane-force winds will begin in Jamaica on Monday night.

This late-season surprise behemoth went beyond 'extreme' rapid intensification and now ties Katrina and Andrew as the 10th strongest hurricane ever recorded.

The Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Melissa was moving slower than expected over the Caribbean, putting Jamaica at greater risk of catastrophic flooding and storm surge. Slower storms can also dump large amounts of rain over a longer period, pushing more water from the coast further inland.

ABC News' Chief Meteorologist Ginger Zee tracks Hurricane Melissa’s path and timing. Florida property tax to be completely eradicated from 2027 under proposal

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.