Hurricane Melissa has grown into one of the most powerful storms the Atlantic has seen in years. Here are five startling facts about this devastating storm.

Hurricane Melissa approaches Jamaica as a Category 5 storm. Some say that it resembles Hurricane Gilbert in 1988.

Jamaica's central location in the Caribbean, the island has never recorded a direct landfall from a Category 4 or 5 hurricane, according to records from the National Hurricane Center (NHC) dating back to 1850.

Melissa directly hit Jamaica on Tuesday as a Category 5 storm, the most powerful hurricane ever to hit the nation.

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 last time Jamaica faced a storm of this magnitude was Hurricane Gilbert in 1988, which devastated much of the island.

Hurricane Melissa tore a path of destruction across Jamaica after the storm made landfall on Tuesday as a Category 5 hurricane, one of the most powerful landfalls on record in the Atlantic basin.After lashing Jamaica with dangerous winds and flooding rain,

Hurricane Melissa is expected to weaken into an extratropical cyclone on Friday, Oct. 31, the National Hurricane Center said.