Jamaica residents were warned Monday to "seek shelter now," as Melissa, a strong Category 5 hurricane, neared landfall on the Caribbean island nation.

Hurricane Melissa intensified into a powerful Category 5 storm and remained on track to slam Jamaica with a destructive storm surge, damaging winds and life-threatening flash flooding.

The National Hurricane Center warns that Hurricane Melissa poses a threat of catastrophic flash flooding and landslides in Jamaica, Cuba and Hispaniola.

Here is Melissa’s forecasted path: Melissa is expected to make landfall in central or western Jamaica late Monday night or early Tuesday morning, likely as a Category 4 or 5 hurricane. Most of the destruction will unfold from noon on Monday to noon on Tuesday.