Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, with the possibility of intensifying to a Category 5 storm Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean,

KINGSTON/HAVANA (Reuters) -Hurricane Melissa began lashing Jamaica with violent gusts on Monday as the U.S. National Hurricane Center upgraded it to a Category 5 storm packing sustained winds of 165 mph,

With peak sustained winds of 180 mph and even higher gusts, Hurricane Melissa is forecast to be the strongest storm ever to strike Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a Category 5 storm as it draws closer to Jamaica, where forecasters say it will unleash catastrophic flooding, landslides and widespread damage

At least seven people were dead in the Caribbean on Tuesday morning as Hurricane Melissa neared landfall in Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa, now a Category 5 storm, is forecast to bring life-threatening winds, flooding and storm surge to Jamaica.

Melissa will likely remain at Category 5 strength by the time it makes landfall in Jamaica midday or early afternoon Tuesday. Melissa is set to bring catastrophic winds, rain, flooding and storm surge to Jamaica,

At that strength, it would be the strongest hurricane to hit the island since record-keeping began in 1851. Blamed for six deaths in the northern Caribbean as it headed toward the island, Melissa was on track to make landfall Tuesday in Jamaica before coming ashore in Cuba later in the day and then heading toward the Bahamas.