When Melissa hit Jamaica on Tuesday, it had reached category 5 and winds of nearly 82 meters per second were measured.
This makes it the most powerful hurricane to hit land since 1935, when a similar storm devastated large parts of the Florida Keys in southeastern USA, according to AFP's analysis of data from the American weather agency NOAA.
Melissa has lost strength in its journey over the sea after passing Jamaica. When it reached Cuba at the town of Chivirico during the night towards Wednesday, local time, it was as category 3.
Hundreds of thousands of people have been evacuated to shelters in Cuba where a hurricane warning has been issued for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas.
On Wednesday morning, Melissa was moving with wind speeds of over 53 meters per second.
"Difficult early morning"
Cuba's President Miguel Díaz-Canel previously stated on X that over 735,000 people had been evacuated while he warned of a "difficult night".
"It has been a very difficult early morning. Extensive damage, and Hurricane Melissa is still over Cuban territory", Díaz-Canel writes in a new post on social media.
"I urge our people not to let their guard down, to maintain discipline and to stay in shelter."
According to forecasts, the storm is likely to cause catastrophic damage in Santiago de Cuba and surrounding areas.
Many landslides are likely in these areas, says Michael Brennan, at NOAA in Miami.
Melissa is expected to reach the Bahamas later on Wednesday and approach Bermuda on Thursday.
Several people have been reported dead from Jamaica, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, according to CNN.
"Melissa is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as it moves over Cuba, the Bahamas, and near Bermuda", the American Hurricane Center NHC states in its latest forecast.
Hospitals damaged
The extent of the damage caused by Melissa in Jamaica is not yet fully clarified. Large parts of the country are reported to be without electricity.
Desmond McKenzie, a minister in the country's government, states that several hospitals have been damaged, including in Saint Elizabeth, a coastal district that he describes as "under water".
The damage in Saint Elizabeth is extensive, based on what we have seen, he says at a press conference.
Saint Elizabeth is the country's breadbasket, and it has been hit hard.
