WASHINGTON

Tropical storm conditions continued to batter Jamaica late Monday as Hurricane Melissa moved toward the island with maximum sustained winds of 175 miles (281 kilometers) per hour, said the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

At 8 pm ET, the Category 5 storm’s center was located about 155 miles (249 kilometers) southwest of the capital Kingston, moving northwest at 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) per hour, but it was expected to turn north overnight and then northeast on Tuesday, the NHC said in its latest advisory.

The storm’s center was forecast to pass near or over Jamaica early Tuesday, bringing life-threatening winds and heavy rain.

At least three people have reportedly died in Jamaica during preparations for Hurricane Melissa, with US meteorologists warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening” conditions.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness ordered evacuations in vulnerable areas, urging residents to “prepare and stay indoors.”

“I urge every Jamaican to prepare, stay indoors during the storm, and comply with evacuation orders...We will weather this storm and rebuild stronger,” he wrote on X.

The storm has also claimed four lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where heavy rains caused widespread flooding and landslides.