Hurricane Melissa Barrels Down on Jamaica as Category 5 Storm

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened to a Category 5 storm and is expected to produce catastrophic floods and heavy infrastructure damage in Jamaica.

Flash floods are projected to sweep through Jamaica on Monday and into Tuesday, with parts of the island expected to receive as much as 40 inches of rain, according to the National Hurricane Center. The weather service is advising people to avoid leaving safe shelters during the storm, which has sustained winds of 160 miles an hour.

“Destructive winds, especially in the mountains, will begin by this evening, leading to extensive infrastructural damage, long-lasting power and communication outages, and isolated communities,” the National Hurricane Center said Monday.

A life-threatening storm surge and damaging waves are forecast to slam Jamaica’s southern coast through Tuesday, the weather service said.

The Jamaican government has issued mandatory evacuation orders for seven communities on the island predicted to take heavy damage, including Port Royal, Kingston.

Heavy rainfall, potential flash flooding and landslides are also expected to begin Monday in eastern Cuba, the weather service said. Deadly storm surge and damaging winds are expected starting late Tuesday.

Storm models predict Melissa will strike Haiti and the Dominican Republic by midweek and cause catastrophic damage. Melissa will likely batter Haiti’s already vulnerable infrastructure, the weather service said.

Hurricane conditions, storm surge and heavy rainfall are possible on Wednesday in the southeast Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos.

Write to Joseph De Avila at joseph.deavila@wsj.com