With its formidable force, Hurricane Melissa has joined an elite group of powerful storms. Boasting sustained winds reaching 175 mph, this hurricane ranks among the most potent ever recorded in the Atlantic basin.

Only nine hurricanes in the Atlantic have surpassed Melissa in strength, although a few others have matched its 175-mph intensity. Hurricane Allen from 1980 remains the record-holder with its staggering 190 mph winds.

In the Caribbean Sea, Melissa stands as one of the most intense hurricanes, trailing only behind Allen, Wilma in 2005, Mitch in 1998, and Gilbert in 1988. Notably, Gilbert was the last significant hurricane to strike Jamaica directly.

The storm’s impact has already proven tragic, resulting in fatalities in both the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

Currently, Melissa is gradually moving northwest at a pace of 2 mph, with its eye expected to approach Jamaica’s southern coast by Tuesday morning.

But the buzz-saw-like storm’s worst impacts will start hours earlier.

Tropical-storm-force sustained winds (up to 73 mph) with higher gusts will spread across Jamaica after midnight.

Hurricane conditions will likely begin just before sunrise Tuesday. This means sustained winds of 74 mph up to 175 mph as the core approaches. Gusts could be over 200 mph, particularly in the mountains.

Because Melissa is moving so slowly, its damaging winds, flooding rain, and storm surge will last far longer than just the moment of landfall.

Up to 40 inches of rain, 13 feet of storm surge, and 160 mph sustained winds will cause “extensive infrastructure damage” that will cut off communities, the National Hurricane Center warned.

Jamaica’s Minister of Labour and Social Security Pearnel Charles said Monday that the evacuation orders issued for vulnerable areas are not a suggestion, but a “directive to save your life,” as the country confronts “extreme devastation and danger” posed by Hurricane Melissa.

“It (Melissa) is very slow, it is very, very, very intense. And that means the outcome may potentially be extreme devastation and danger,” Charles told CNN’s Derek Van Dam.

The minister also said that buses are being used to transport people in need to emergency shelters across the country. “If you are in a low-lying, flood-prone area, now is the time to take no chances and not to gamble,” he said.

United Nations staff are preparing to deploy to Cuba and Jamaica this week.

The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Monday that it is planning to send in personnel, “as conditions allow, to reinforce coordination and preparedness efforts across the region.”

“OCHA and its partners are supporting authorities ahead of further impact,” the office said in a statement. After Jamaica, Melissa is still expected to be a major hurricane when it roars over eastern Cuba with damaging winds, storm surge, and potentially catastrophic flooding.

Hurricane Melissa is not forecast to hit the United States.

A strong cold front tracking into the East will act as an atmospheric brick wall of protection along the US coastline.

Wet and windy conditions from the front will spread into the East Coast Wednesday and Thursday.

Cold fronts like this are more frequent toward the end of hurricane season, but they don’t always offer protection. Storms that track farther north and west in the Caribbean than Melissa can sometimes get drawn up by them and be sent toward the eastern Gulf Coast, most often Florida.

While Melissa won’t hit the US directly, it will still churn up some rough seas and increase the risk of dangerous rip currents along the East Coast. Those impacts will begin Wednesday when Melissa crosses into the Atlantic, and will continue through at least the weekend.

(The-CNN-Wire & 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.)