A powerful Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has begun its assault on Jamaica on Tuesday with the threat of “catastrophic flash flooding, landslides, and destructive winds,” according to the National Hurricane Center.

As of the NHC’s 5 a.m. advisory, Melissa still had maximum sustained winds of 175 mph located about 115 miles west-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica and 290 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba, moving north-northeast at 5 mph.

Hurricane-force winds extended outward up to 30 miles and tropical-storm-force winds extended outward up to 195 miles.

“Conditions are deteriorating across Jamaica, where heavy rainfall and tropical storm conditions have spread across the island,” said NHC’s senior hurricane specialist Brad Reinhart warning residents to remain sheltered, as the “extremely d

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