(MENAFN) Tropical storm conditions continued to lash Jamaica late Monday as Hurricane Melissa advanced toward the island, packing maximum sustained winds of 175 miles (281 kilometers) per hour, according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC).

By 8 pm ET, the center of the Category 5 hurricane was positioned approximately 155 miles (249 kilometers) southwest of Kingston, moving northwest at a slow pace of 2 miles (3.2 kilometers) per hour.

The NHC indicated in its latest advisory that the storm was expected to shift north overnight and then head northeast by Tuesday.

Forecasters predict that the storm’s eye will pass near or over Jamaica early Tuesday, bringing dangerously strong winds and heavy rainfall.

Reports indicate that at least three people have lost their lives in Jamaica during preparations for Hurricane Melissa, with US meteorologists warning of “catastrophic and life-threatening” conditions.

In response, Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness has ordered evacuations in high-risk zones and urged citizens 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,” Holness wrote on X.

Hurricane Melissa has also caused fatalities in neighboring countries, claiming four lives in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, where torrential rains triggered severe flooding and landslides.

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