Hurricane Melissa struck the western part of Jamaica the hardest, leaving widespread destruction, officials said. Black River Hospital on the southwest side of the island has been devastated and several other hospitals suffered damage, Desmond McKenzie, the minister of Local Government and Community Development, said.

The most powerful storm to hit the region since 1988 could inundate some areas of eastern Jamaica with up to 40 inches of rain. The arrival of its core has been delayed by stalling.

The Caribbean storm — among the most powerful in history, with 185 mph winds — is expected to bring flash-flooding and landslides as it slowly moves across the island and heads north toward Cuba.

Melissa sets its sights on Bermuda after its historic Category 5 landfall in Jamaica and major hurricane lashing in eastern Cuba. Here's the very latest forecast and recap, so far.

While a tropical storm warning has been discontinued for Jamaica, the country's government warned of the potential for "further flash flooding and additional landslides" through Wednesday night.

Hurricane Melissa has made landfall on Jamaica as the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island since records were first kept 174 years ago. Melissa is a Category 5 storm with sustained wind speeds of 185 mph (295 kph).

Texas newlyweds Kasydee and Hunter Bishop are trapped near Montego Bay, Jamaica, as Hurricane Melissa approaches as a Category 5 storm with 175 mph winds.

Initial estimates show Hurricane Melissa may have killed dozens across Haiti and Jamaica. Melissa is one of the strongest storms the region has ever seen, leaving widespread destruction in multiple Caribbean nations.

Jamaica is bracing for potentially its strongest storm to ever impact the island, as the slow-moving, major Category 5 hurricane closes in. AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson reports from Lake County, FL, where 16 inches of rain in 6 hours triggered a rare flash flood emergency, washing out roads and flooding homes.