KINGSTON (Reuters) -Hurricane Melissa slammed into the southern coast of eastern Cuba on Wednesday, hours after causing devastation in neighboring Jamaica as the strongest-ever cyclone on record to hit that Caribbean island nation.

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in the 174 years since records began

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 is expected to hit Jamaica early on Oct. 28 as the country’s strongest storm on record. FBI Scrambles Over Mysterious Stand in Trump Airspace Did Hillsborough actually overspend by $279 million,

Hurricane Melissa barreled toward eastern Cuba, where it was expected to make landfall as a major storm early Wednesday after pummeling Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record

Hurricane Melissa has been upgraded to a Category 5 storm, with dangerous winds, storm surge and flash flooding expected in Jamaica, forecasters said.

Hurricane Melissa threatens to make a direct strike on Jamaica as the most powerful storm in its history. See how strong it will become and where it’s headed.