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

Melissa was centred about 130 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 315 miles south-southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, the US National Hurricane Centre in Miami said. Please review your details and accept them to load the content

It had maximum sustained winds of 160mph and was moving west at 3mph, the centre said.

Category 5 is the highest on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds exceeding 157mph.

Melissa is the strongest hurricane in recent history to directly hit the small Caribbean nation.

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