Lightning flashes in the eyewall of Category 5 Melissa are a marker of how strong the storm is. It reached a central pressure of 892 millibars, among the lowest ever recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. It is tied as the third-most intense Atlantic storm with the devastating 1935 Labor Day hurricane.

Striking satellite images from Isro’s INSAT-3DR satellite captured the swirling mass of clouds and the dense, spiraling eyewall, vividly illustrating the storm’s monstrous scale as it barrels towards land.

Melissa is expected to weaken a little while crossing. Forecasters said the storm will turn northeast and cross southeastern Cuba Tuesday night as a major hurricane and reach the southeastern Bahamas as a hurricane of Category 2 strength Wednesday.

A Hurricane Watch covers the southeastern and central Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, while a Tropical Storm Warning remains active for Haiti and Cuba’s Las Tunas province. The NHC stressed that preparations to protect life and property should already be completed, as hurricane conditions are expected within 36 hours.

The NHC said strengthening is expected to continue, and the storm will likely become a catastrophic Category 5 hurricane as it creeps closer to Jamaica.

Last year, United Way of Jamaica mobilized help for female farmers hit hard by Hurricane Beryl, helping them replace farm equipment, repair roofs, and pay tuition fees for their kids right as the school year began. The Kingston-based group accepts cash donations.