Melissa became a Category 3 hurricane that is expected to continue intensifying over the weekend. The hurricane was moving west at 3 mph with sustained winds of 115 mph. Life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica into early next week.

The U.S. Air Force Reserve's 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron, known as the "Hurricane Hunters," were forced to turn back at one point due to heavy turbulence after flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa on Monday.

According to the NHC, the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale, developed in 1971 by civil engineer Herbert Saffir and meteorologist Robert Homer Simpson, is a rating of 1 to 5 based on a hurricane's sustained wind speed and its potential for significant loss of life and damage.

ABC World News Tonight was interrupted on Sunday evening as Linsey Davis shared a 'catastrophic' breaking news update about Hurricane Melissa in Jamaica.

Hurricane Irma, fresh on the heels of Hurricane Harvey, strengthened early Tuesday into a Category 5 storm with maximum winds of 175 miles per hour, as Florida started to prepare for its potential landfall over the weekend. The latest forecasts have Irma ...

Now, after days of torrential rainfall and strong winds, seven reported fatalities, and with maximum sustained wind speeds reaching a devastating 185 mph, Melissa has made history as the first Category 5 hurricane in recorded history to make landfall in Jamaica. Live updates: Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Jamaica as powerful Category 5 storm