U.S. Air Force "Hurricane Hunters" data indicated that maximum sustained winds are nearing 175 mph, with higher gusts, the NHC said. Hurricane force winds are extending up to 30 miles from the storm's center, the NHC added.

"It is more than kind of distressing because you don't know when and you don't know how," said Ewan Simpson, who lives in Jamaica.

Hurricane Hunters were forced to cut short their reconnaissance mission into the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa Monday morning, Oct. 27.

Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this weekend, bringing “life-threatening and catastrophic” flash flooding and landslides to the Caribbean.

A powerful hurricane is barreling toward Jamaica with anticipation that it will be the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in modern history. Hurricane Melissa began rapidly intensifying over the weekend.