Melissa now a Category 5 hurricane as it approaches Jamaica

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

Melissa is forecast to make landfall on the island on Tuesday, and cross Cuba and the Bahamas through Wednesday.

Melissa was centred about 230 kilometres southwest of Kingston, the capital, and about 530 km southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said in its 11 a.m. ET update.