KINGSTON, Jamaica >> Hurricane Melissa began lashing Jamaica with violent gusts today as the National Hurricane Center upgraded it to a Category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 165 mph, the largest on record to slam into the Caribbean island.

Cuba, the eastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos also lie in the expected path of the storm, which will make its way north and east toward Bermuda later this week.

The hurricane is expected to stay well offshore of the United States, bringing only rough surf and minor coastal flooding to the East Coast.

On Monday at midday in Jamaica, Melissa was still 145 miles southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 330 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, according to the NHC in Miami. The hurricane was creeping west at just 3 mph, the center said, but would

See Full Page