Hurricane Melissa pummeled areas of the Caribbean already vulnerable to landslides and flash flooding — made worse by decades of deforestation — with risks likely to continue for days, experts said.

Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday and continued to strengthen as it moved closer to Jamaica, where it was forecast to cause life-threatening flash flooding, landslides, and devastating damage to infrastructure. It arrived on the island’s southwestern coast around noon local time Tuesday.

A demolished church, roofs blown off homes, shattered windows and debris-strewn, impassable roads: Hurricane Melissa dealt a direct hit to Jamaica's southwestern coastal communities that face a long h

An isolated island in the Caribbean, Jamaica is no stranger to hurricanes. Hurricane Melissa is currently intensifying and inching closer to the Jamaica coast with the potential to cause catastrophic consequences.

A Delaware County woman is struggling to reach her family in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa knocked out power and communication lines.

In the last 25 years, a total of 10 major hurricanes have lashed the island. “Cuba is right in the center of things,” a weather historian said.

These challenges are part of a larger pattern. US farmers issue warning as extreme weather causes $600 million crisis: 'As bad as, if not worse than, hurricanes' first appeared on The Cool Down.

Turbulence got so bad that the Air Force Reserve's Hurricane Hunters were forced to cut short their daring trip and head back to base early.