The U.S. National Hurricane Center is urging people in Jamaica to seek shelter, as destructive hurricane conditions are expected to begin Monday night or early Tuesday.

Hurricane Melissa, the most powerful storm of the 2025 Atlantic season, is poised to strike Jamaica Tuesday as possibly its worst storm in recorded history.

Hurricane Melissa is set to bring catastrophic winds, flooding and storm surge to Jamaica, forecasters have warned.

A strengthening Melissa grew into a Category 4 hurricane Sunday and U.S. forecasters said it could reach Category 5 status, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean,

The storm's slow movement is expected to bring a deluge of rain to multiple countries in the Caribbean, and prolong its dangerous impacts over a period of several days.

Hurricane Melissa is currently sustaining winds near 140 mph, and is expected to make landfall in Jamaica on Monday.

Cruise lines are changing itineraries to avoid Hurricane Melissa. The storm strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane as it closed in on Jamaica. “Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday,

Hurricane Melissa is expected to crash into Jamaica with a strength reserved for a tiny percentage of Atlantic hurricanes. A hurricane reaching Category 4 or 5 strength is quite a feat in itself. The two categories combined make up about 17 percent of all hurricanes in recorded history.