The most powerful storm to hit the region since 1988 could inundate some areas of eastern Jamaica with up to 40 inches of rain.

Hurricane Melissa, now a powerful Category 5 storm, is bearing down on Jamaica and is forecast to be the worst storm in the island's history. Melissa is set to bring catastrophic winds, rain, flooding and storm surge to Jamaica, where residents and tourists are sheltering in place. Landfall is expected early Tuesday morning.

Hurricane Melissa is now a potentially devastating Category 5 storm heading toward Jamaica as more U.S. military assets head toward the region.

Hurricane Melissa is edging towards Jamaica and set to make landfall as a historic Category 5 storm, with winds of over 160 mph. Jamaica is bracing for what the National Hurricane Center said would be catastrophic flash flooding and landslides caused by up to 40 inches of rain in some places. The storm is due to make landfall early Tuesday.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, threatening the northern Caribbean with massive rainfall and life-threatening flooding

Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this weekend, bringing “life-threatening and catastrophic” flash flooding and landslides to the Caribbean.

Slow-moving hurricanes and tropical storms can be as dangerous as intense hurricanes, even when they are weaker. A textbook case of this happened in late October 1998.