Hurricane Melissa live updates: No official death toll in Jamaica

The National Hurricane Center's latest bulletin said it expects Hurricane Melissa to bring "catastrophic winds, flash flooding and storm surge" for Jamaica when it approaches the island and makes landfall on Tuesday.

Conditions are "deteriorating on Jamaica as extremely dangerous Category 5 Melissa slowly approaches," the NHC said.

"Preparations to protect life and property should be complete in Jamaica and rushed to completion in Cuba," it added.

Sustained winds are currently nearing 175 mph with higher gusts, the NHC said. "Some fluctuations in intensity are likely before Melissa makes landfall on Jamaica later today," it added.

"However, Melissa is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas," the bulletin warned.

The Jamaican Defence Force has been deployed to assist in hurricane preparedness, the force said in social media posts as Hurricane Melissa approaches the island, with the JDF warning of the storm's projected "devastating impact."

"Relief supplies will be desperately needed across the island in the aftermath of the hurricane," the JDF said in a post to X. "The JDF will be integral in the recovery effort."

The National Hurricane Center said in a bulletin early Tuesday that Hurricane Melissa "is expected to reach Jamaica and southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and will still be at hurricane strength when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas."

Melissa is expected to move across Jamaica on Tuesday, reach southeastern Cuba by Wednesday morning and the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday, the NHC said.

U.S. Air Force "Hurricane Hunters" data indicated that maximum sustained winds are nearing 175 mph, with higher gusts, the NHC said. Hurricane force winds are extending up to 30 miles from the storm's center, the NHC added.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness warned in a post to X on Tuesday morning that "conditions continue to deteriorate ahead of hurricane landfall."

The prime minister shared the latest forecast for the storm in a government bulletin, which noted that the "core of Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica on Tuesday."