Hurricane Melissa barreled toward eastern Cuba , where it was expected to make landfall as a major storm early Wednesday after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

More than 700,000 people were evacuated in Cuba, according to President Miguel Díaz-Canel, and forecasters said the Category 3 storm would unleash catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba and nearby areas.

A hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas, as well as for the southeastern and central Bahamas. A hurricane watch was in effect for Bermuda.

Early Wednesday morning, Melissa had top sustained winds of 125 mph (205 kph) and was moving northeast at 9 mph (15 kph) according to the U.S. National Hurricane Cente

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