Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Jamaica as an extremely dangerous hurricane Tuesday.
Melissa will move westward through Sunday, then expected to turn north and northeast Monday and Tuesday. Tropical storm conditions are likely today in Jamaica with deteriorating hurricane conditions on Monday. 
A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica and eastern Cuba. A tropical storm warning and hurricane watch is in effect for Haiti.
Jamaica faces the most immediate threat of extreme rainfall leading to life-threatening flash flooding and landslides, damaging winds and dangerous storm surge through Tuesday. The hurricane will pull away from Jamaica and approach Eastern Cuba by the middle of the week. Damage could be extensive to infrastructure with long duration power outages.
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
Hurricane force winds extend outward up to 30 miles from Melissa's center. Tropical-storm-force winds currently extend outward nearly 200 miles from Melissa's center, creating a significant area of dangerous conditions around the storm.
Melissa is forecast to dump 15 to 30 inches of rain across portions of southern Hispaniola and Cuba through Thursday. 20-30 inches of rain is predicted to fall in Jamaica with isolated amounts as high as 40 inches.
Catastrophic, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are anticipated across portions of Jamaica, Haiti, the Dominican Republic and eastern Cuba. Life-threatening storm surge is expected Monday and early Tuesday in Jamaica and eastern Cuba on Tuesday.
There is also an increasing risk of significant storm surge, damaging winds, and heavy rainfall in the southeastern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos starting Tuesday. Watches will likely be issued on Monday.
**Portions of this story were assisted by artificial intelligence tools and reviewed by a WPTV journalist to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to editorial standards.
