Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica

(CNN) – Hurricane Melissa made landfall Tuesday afternoon in Jamaica.

The storm came ashore near New Hope, Jamaica at 1 p.m. Eastern Standard Time as a category five storm.

It packed winds of 185 miles per hour when it hit land.

Melissa is the strongest storm on record to hit Jamaica and the strongest hurricane to hit land in the Atlantic Basin since Hurricane Dorian in 2019.

Melissa’s impact is sparking flooding and a life-threatening storm surge.

Weather officials on the Caribbean island nation say up to 30 feet of rain is possible for some areas over the next two days.

Jamaica’s Prime Minister said he expects Melissa to leave catastrophic damage.

Late Tuesday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center downgraded Melissa to a category four storm.

After the hurricane leaves its mark on Jamaica, it will move into the Caribbean Sea and is forecast to make landfall in southeastern Cuba overnight.

Melissa is not expected to have a significant effect on the United States.