The storm, which hit Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, has continued its path across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving devastation in its wake

People across the northern Caribbean were digging out from the destruction of Hurricane Melissa​ on Thursday as deaths from the catastrophic storm climbed.

Melissa, now a Category 2 hurricane, will bring heavy rain from the Mid-Atlantic to New England as it heads toward Bermuda and Newfoundland, Canada.

At first light on Wednesday, the coastal communities of southwestern Jamaica bore the devastation of being in the direct path of Hurricane Melissa.

Ex-hurricanes can sometimes impact the United Kingdom but on this occasion any remnants of Melissa will have minor affects on our weather early next week. Hurricane Melissa is now moving at pace north-east in the western Atlantic with sustained wind speeds of 105mph (169km/h).

High above Earth, satellites like the European Union's Copernicus Sentinel-2 watch and track storms such as Hurricane Melissa, a category 5 maelstrom. These satellites help keep continuous eyes on the tempest and provide valuable data about how these natural disasters form and how they can impact communities in a changing world.

The National Hurricane Center's 5 a.m. Thursday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 215 miles northeast of the Central Bahamas and 685 miles southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving north-northeast at 21 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

A singer has described her desperation as Hurricane Melissa has left her without contact with her mother in Jamaica for more than two days. Sandra Godley, from Coventry, said she last spoke to her 84-year-old mother on Monday - she was told on Wednesday that she was ok, but has not spoken to her directly.