Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensified Monday into a Category 5 storm with maximum sustained winds reaching 160 mph as it barreled toward Jamaica.

According to the National Hurricane Center (NHC), Melissa is expected to pass near or over Jamaica as a major hurricane early Tuesday morning before striking Cuba later that night. The slow-moving storm could dump up to 30 inches across much of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola, with isolated areas seeing as much as 40 inches.

National Hurricane Center This image provided by the National Hurricane Center shows the projected path of Hurricane Melissa.

"Catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely today through Tuesday," the NHC said as the storm neared Jamaica. "Destructive winds, especially in the mounta

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