Hurricane Melissa has escalated to a formidable Category 5 storm as it approaches Jamaica, threatening the island with torrential rains of up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) and a potentially deadly storm surge.

The powerful hurricane is expected to strike Jamaica on Tuesday, then continue its path across Cuba and the Bahamas by midweek.

According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami, Melissa was positioned approximately 130 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and around 315 miles (505 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.

The storm is packing maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (260 kph) and is advancing westward at a speed of 3 mph (6 kph), as reported by the center.

Hurricanes of Category 5 status, the peak level on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, feature sustained winds surpassing 157 mph (250 kph). Melissa is noted as the most intense hurricane to directly impact the Caribbean nation in recent times.

Some local areas of eastern Jamaica could get 40 inches (1 meter) of rain while western Haiti could get 16 inches (40 centimeters), according to hurricane center. “Catastrophic flash flooding and numerous landslides are likely,” it warned.

The slow-moving storm has killed at least three people in Haiti and a fourth person in the Dominican Republic, where another person remains missing.

“I want to urge Jamaicans to take this seriously,” said Desmond McKenzie, deputy chairman of Jamaica’s Disaster Risk Management Council. “Do not gamble with Melissa. It’s not a safe bet.”

The hurricane was expected to make another landfall later Tuesday in eastern Cuba. A hurricane warning was in effect for Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo and Holguin provinces, while a tropical storm warning was in effect for Las Tunas. Up to 20 inches (51 centimeters) of rain were forecast for parts of Cuba, along with a significant storm surge along the coast.

A record storm for Jamaica

Melissa could be the strongest hurricane Jamaica has experienced in decades, said Evan Thompson, principal director at Jamaica’s meteorological service. He warned that cleanup and damage assessment would be severely delayed because of anticipated landslides, flooding and blocked roads.

In addition to the rainfall, Melissa is likely to cause a life-threatening storm surge on Jamaica’s southern coast, peaking around 13 feet (4 meters) above ground level, near and to the east of where the center of Melissa makes landfall, the U.S. center said.

“Don’t make foolish decisions,” warned Daryl Vaz, Jamaica’s transport minister. “We are in a very, very serious time over the next few days.”

A hit on Hispaniola

The storm already has dropped heavy rain in the Dominican Republic, where schools and government offices were ordered to remain closed on Monday in four of nine provinces still under red alert.

Melissa damaged more than 750 homes across the country, displacing more than 3,760 people. Floodwaters also have cut access to at least 48 communities, officials said.

In neighboring Haiti, the storm destroyed crops in three regions, including 15 hectares (37 acres) of maize at a time when at least 5.7 million people, more than half of the country’s population, is experiencing crisis levels of hunger, with 1.9 million of those facing emergency levels of hunger.

“Flooding is obstructing access to farmland and markets, jeopardizing harvests and the winter agricultural season,” the U.N.’s Food and Agriculture Organization said.

Melissa was expected to keep dumping torrential rain over southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic in upcoming days.