Hurricane Melissa was making its way across Cuba on Wednesday as a Category 3 storm, a day after making landfall in Jamaica as one of the region's strongest storms on record.

Melissa was forecast to move into the Bahamas later Wednesday, with Haiti, the Dominican Republic and the Turks and Caicos also bracing for its effects.

Authorities in Cuba had evacuated more than 735,000 people, President Miguel Díaz-Canel said on social media. Forecasters warned the storm would cause catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba — the country's second-largest city —and nearby areas.

Melissa rapidly strengthened in recent days, making forecasting more difficult.

Here is what to know about the storm:

A record storm for Jamaica

Melissa was a Category 5 hurricane, the highest level, when it made landfal

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