Heavy floodwaters swept southwestern Jamaica, winds tore roofs off buildings and boulders tumbled onto roads Tuesday as Hurricane Melissa came ashore as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

Hurricane Melissa, which is stronger than Hurricane Katrina, is set to bring catastrophic winds, flash flooding and high storm surges to the island of Jamaica.

Watch Jamaica live webcams capture Hurricane Melissa's landfall. Live webcam video as tropical storm nears Kingston, Montego Bay, Treasure Beach and more.

Hurricane Melissa intensified to a Category 5 storm on Monday and continued to strengthen as it moved closer to Jamaica, where it was forecast to cause life-threatening flash flooding, landslides, and devastating damage to infrastructure. It arrived on the island’s southwestern coast around noon local time Tuesday.

As hurricane Melissa continues its passage across Jamaica after making landfall in the southwest of the island on Tuesday morning, winds are intensifying in some eastern parishes including Kingston. When Observer Online visited downtown Kingston on Tuesday evening,

The center of Hurricane Charlie skirted the southern coast of Jamaica on the night of Aug. 17, 1951, before it made landfall early the next morning as a strong Category 3 storm, bringing destructive winds to the entirety of the island, according to the NHC. The strongest winds at Kingston were measured at 110 mph.