Hurricane Melissa, a storm with the potential to be the strongest hurricane ever to strike Jamaica, is expected to make landfall at around 6 a.m. local time on Tuesday—with the central and western hal...

Hurricane Melissa intensified to Category 5 strength Monday as it neared Jamaica with up to 30 inches (76 centimetres) of rain and a life-threatening storm surge.

Over the next day or so, the storm is on track to hammer Jamaica, eastern Cuba, and parts of the Bahamas with catastrophic flash flooding, destructive winds, and damaging waves.