The hurricane came ashore in the Cuban province of Santiago de Cuba, a day after hitting Jamaica as one of the most powerful Atlantic storms on record.

After Melissa moves away from Jamaica, Cuba is next in line for the powerful hurricane’s fury. Landfall is expected very early Wednesday morning, likely a couple hours after midnight, but impacts have already begun.

Hurricane Melissa is slamming eastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, after hammering Jamaica on Tuesday and causing widespread damage.

In the last 25 years, a total of 10 major hurricanes have lashed the island. “Cuba is right in the center of things,” a weather historian said.

Rescue operations and urgent evacuations continued in Cuba on Friday, as people remained trapped by severe flooding left by the torrential rains from Hurricane Melissa on rural areas and towns across the affected provinces on the eastern end of the island.

Hurricane Melissa's winds, flooding, and storm surge are expected to leave a historic mark in the Caribbean. Here’s what the footage shows

Law professor Jared Carter has led academic exchanges to Cuba for the last 15 years. He is concerned about the extra steps it might take for Vermonters to send support to Cuba with certain travel restrictions on the island country.

Hurricane Melissa left Jamaica in ruins, Haiti grieving dozens lost, and Cuba’s sacred sites damaged as recovery crews race to isolated towns.

Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Cuba as a category three storm, the US National Hurricane Center says. "Sustained" winds up to 120mph (193km/h) are hitting the southern coast of the country. The mayor of Montego Bay says one half of the city in north-west Jamaica has been cut off from the other by flood waters.