Hurricane Melissa made landfall near Chivirico, Cuba early Wednesday as a powerful Category 3 storm after slamming Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Melissa has winds of 120 mph and started to weaken after making its second landfall in eastern Cuba, but forecasters tell FOX Weather that the hurricane's force will continue as it spins across the island.

Early Wednesday, Melissa was moving northeast at 12 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The hurricane was centered 60 miles west of Guantánamo, Cuba, and 230 miles (370 kilometers) south of the central Bahamas.

The National Hurricane Center warned residents of Cuba to remain sheltered and that preparations for the storm in the Bahamas need to be completed quickly.

Hurricane Melissa slams

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