KINGSTON, Jamaica —

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength Monday as it neared Jamaica with up to 30 inches of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island Tuesday and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.

Melissa was centered about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 315 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

The hurricane had maximum sustained winds of 160 mph and was moving west at 3 mph, the center said.

Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157 mph. Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history to directly hit the small Caribbean nation.

Some local areas of eastern Jamaica could get

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