On Monday afternoon, Hurricane Melissa slammed into the Caribbean, poised to become one of the most devastating storms in recorded history.

As a Category 5 hurricane, Melissa has earned the title ‘storm of the century’ and is proving even more powerful than Hurricane Katrina. The storm is expected to wreak havoc across Jamaica with severe flooding and winds reaching 185 mph.

The hurricane’s eye is encircled by ferocious winds, forming what meteorologists call the eyewall.

These intense gales targeted Jamaica just before the storm’s landfall.

Government officials have cautioned Jamaican residents against underestimating Melissa’s power, warning that failing to take protective measures could endanger lives.

Hurricane Melissa made landfall across the Caribbean Monday afternoon as the terrifying storm is set to be the worst in history. The eye of the storm is currently surrounded by the powerful winds

As much as 20 inches of rain swept across parts of the Sunshine State over Sunday night and into Monday triggering flash floods. 

The slow-moving storm system was declared by the National Weather Service (NWS) as a ‘particularly dangerous situation’.

Pictures and videos emerged on social media of the four-star resort The Boca Raton, in Boca Raton, being swamped with flood waters. 

Murky waters entered the lobby of the luxury hotel flooding it, with patio furniture and strewn across the interior, as staff had to resort to wading through it. 

Images also emerged of streets in Mount Dora, in the center of the state, having been completely washed away as a result of the torrential downpours. 

The area was hit with as much as 17.8 inches of rain, with nearby Eustis receiving 19.7 inches within a 24-hour period. 

Zach Law, a meteorologist with the NWS, told ABC News that parts of the state hadn’t seen such levels since Hurricane Ian in 2022. 

Images emerged on social media of the The Boca Raton being swamped with murky floodwater

The slow-moving storm system was declared by the NWS as a ‘particularly dangerous situation’, staff in the hotel are seen here using towels to dry up what they could 

A spokesperson for The Boca Raton said that the area was cleared out to dry and the hotel is back operating as normal with no impact to guests. 

Most of the standing water in Boca Raton receded by Monday after the city’s storm-water management system was able to catch up, officials said. 

Some areas in the southeast parts were still dealing with standing water into Monday afternoon, there were no reports of any significant damage to homes.

According to the local police department, as many as 100 cars were towed after being abandoned on Sunday night.

The Boca Raton Airport had to temporarily close due to severe flooding before it was reopened on Monday. 

After the deluge that hit the state earlier this week, forecasters said that ‘fall-like weather’ was now on the way with a settled outlook. 

It comes as Category 5 Hurricane Melissa creeps towards Jamaica, bringing with it winds of up to 175 mph. 

The island is being braced for catastrophic floods in what experts have described as ‘the storm of the century’. 

A washed out section of Donnelly Street in Mount Dora is seen here on Monday after downpours flooded the area with nearly 20 inches of rain

Mount Dora was hit with as much as 17.8 inches of rain, with nearby Eustis receiving 19.7 inches within a 24-hour period.

The most powerful hurricane of 2025 will make landfall today which has sparked grim warnings of widespread damages, with Jamaicans urged to reach higher ground.

Melissa is expected to make landfall in the coming hours with trackers showing it will slice diagonally across the island.

The storm intensified to a Category 5 – the maximum strength – on Monday and has already begun lashing the coast with ‘life-threatening’ winds and waves.

Meteorologists confirmed Melissa was now more intense than Katrina, which caused an estimated $125bn worth of damage and killed 1,392 people when it hit New Orleans in 2005.

Melissa is not expected to make landfall in the US, but forecasters have warned of rough surf as the storm moves along the East Coast. 

The storm is moving slowly north-northeastward, according to the National Hurricane Center.

‘Over the next several days, the hurricane is expected to accelerate to the northeast within the flow ahead of an amplifying trough over the southeastern US,’ the agency said.

‘This steering flow will bring the core of Melissa across Jamaica today, over eastern Cuba early Wednesday, and across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday.

‘Then, the hurricane is forecast to pass near Bermuda Thursday night or early Friday.’