Hurricane Melissa is among the strongest hurricanes to have formed in the Atlantic Ocean since records were kept, ranking as one the most powerful storms in terms of both wind strength and pressure.

Melissa is only the fifth Atlantic hurricane on record to achieve sustained winds of 185 m.p.h. or greater, joining the Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, Hurricane Gilbert (1988), Hurricane Wilma (2005) and Hurricane Dorian (2019).

Hurricane Melissa, which struck Jamaica with record-tying 185 mph winds Tuesday, was a beast that stood out as extreme even in a record number of monster storms spawned over the last decade in a superheated Atlantic Ocean.

"I can't even sleep. I didn't even sleep last night," said Dor Ivey, who has lived in Miami Gardens for 11 years and whose family remains in Jamaica.

According to the NHC, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Homer Simpson, is a rating of 1 to 5 based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed and its potential for significant loss of life and damage.

Meteorologist John Morales needed a moment to collect himself while reporting on Hurricane Melissa, the deadly storm making landfall in Jamaica: 'Oh my Jesus Christ.'

Cuba will take a direct hit from Melissa, likely while it is still a powerful major hurricane — defined as Category 3 or higher. Landfall is expected late Tuesday night or very early Wednesday morning,