A Jamaican man earlier told BBC News "the winds are so strong you would not be able to stand up", while a woman said "water is coming through my roof - I am not OK"
In an update to the country, Minister Desmond McKenzie urges residents to heed safety advice: "This is not the time to be brave... Don't bet against Melissa - it is a bet we can't win"
A third of the island is experiencing power cuts, says Energy Minister Daryl Vaz - while a forecaster warns things will get "significantly worse"
People are using satellite phones to feed information to those dealing with the disaster, our reporter in Jamaica writes
One of the main reasons Melissa has become a category five hurricane - an extremely dangerous storm, which forecasters warn could cause catastrophic flooding - is because it has been sitting over its fuel source, the warm ocean, for almost a week.=
The Caribbean Sea is currently warmer than average by a couple of degrees, which has fuelled this hurricane even more.
We haven't seen many big storms in the Atlantic so far this season, meaning the warm air and energy in this ocean region has not been depleted or used up in previous storms - leaving more fuel for Melissa.
And of course with climate change, we can expect warmer conditions - which lead to more extreme weather events.
Hurricane Melissa has just made landfall in Jamaica as a category five hurricane, meaning the storm's eye has crossed over Jamaica's coastline and is now above the island.
Shelley Jackson lives in Montego Bay - she tells us there's "significantly more wind and rain" today - and that the petrol station opposite where she lives has "lost some of its roof" due to "gusts of constant wind".
“I’m here with my neighbour and we are hunkering down," she says, adding the pair have provisions including canned food, propane and gas tanks for a stove.
Shelley says when she first heard about the storm, "it didn’t bother me because we've had storms before" - but she adds that by the time she realised the severity of the situation "it was a bit late".
The statement from the National Hurricane Center, external repeats a lot of what we've heard already throughout the day.
It says the storm is "extremely dangerous and life-threatening".
Citizens are urged not to leave their shelter as the eye passes through the country. This is because "winds will quickly, and rapidly increase" again on the other side of the eye, the NHC says.
Hurricane Melissa has made landfall with an estimated maximum sustained wind speed of 185 mph (295 km/h), the US National Hurricane Center says.
Rebecca Allen is in Southfield, Jamaica, on the south of the island.
“It is incredibly rough here. Lots of things are flying around, the wind speeds are incredible," she says, adding they have done as much as they can to prepare for the storm.
"My community was devastated by Hurricane Beryl last year," she tells me. In July 2024, when that category four storm swept the island, it brought more than 12 hours of heavy rain.
Allen says this time around, her family is better prepared, but notes that this storm - a category five - is more than "anything we've experienced".
"We've tried our best, that's all I can say."
In the next few posts, we're going to bring you the voices from people in Jamaica who have been sharing what things are like on the island as they prepare for Hurricane Melissa to make landfall. First, we hear from a hotel worker on the island:
Shaquille Clarke, who works at a hotel in Negril, on the west of the island, says the winds are “picking up” where he is and the ocean is getting rough.
Trees are starting to fall, he says, adding: “I am concerned for people who are not moved to a safe space."
Clarke says he's feeling "a little worried", but he's also been through a few hurricanes before. "I'm just hoping for the best," he says.
Hurricane Melissa is now 30 miles (55km) away from Negril, a town located on Jamaica's west, the US National Hurricane Center says.
It's expected to make landfall soon. When it does, Jamaica could get as much as 30 inches of rain (76cm) and winds of 175mph (282km/h).
It's forecast to move towards Cuba on Tuesday evening (00:00 GMT) as a category four storm, before continuing towards the Bahamas on Wednesday - by then, it'll have weakened to a category two.
Earlier, the World Meteorological Organization warned that the storm could bring "catastrophic flash flooding and landslides".
The organisation's tropical cyclone specialist, Anne-Claire Fontan, told a press briefing: "for Jamaica, it will be the storm of the century for sure."
Sandbags are placed at the doors of AC Hotel Kingston, as Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall in Kingston, Jamaica,
It's hard to offer practical advice for residents who are stuck in a category five storm, Jamaican officials said earlier, but there are essential things residents can do while they still have time.
Richard Thompson, acting general of Jamaica's Office of Disaster Preparedness, gave his tips:
Get into a shelter now if you can. Search and rescue teams are out there, but "we can't do search and rescue in the height of a system", he said
Keep away from the coastline, ravines and low-lying areas, he said, reiterating calls that have been repeated all day
I have spoken by phone to Kabien, who runs a beauty salon in Santa Cruz in St Elizabeth, where Hurricane Melissa is expected to make landfall and residents have been warned to take shelter.
But she tells me she cannot make it to a shelter because it is too far away and she feels now "it is too dangerous to leave the house".
As we spoke, I could hear the wind in the background and the panic in her voice.
"There is water coming in through the roof of my house," she says. "I am not okay."
She is home with her husband and three young children - all of whom are "very, very scared".
"The doors are being blown off by the wind - I am trying to use my own manpower to stop the wind blowing in the door. The wind is pushing the front door open."
A handout satellite image made available by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) shows Hurricane Melissa approaching Jamaica
We have recently finished hearing from Jamaica's National Emergency Operation Centre, which will be their last briefing until Hurricane Melissa passes.
Let's recap some of the key points covered in the press conference:
The hurricane is still some distance away, but is speeding up. The eye of the storm is expected to make landfall at around midday local time (17:00 GMT)
The storm is expected to be category five when it hits land, before weakening to category four as it crosses the island
A storm surge is expected to hit certain bays and inlets, rising to 13ft (4m) in some areas - the equivalent of around two storeys
Widespread power cuts are already impacting the island, with more than 200,000 without electricity. Most hospitals still have a supply, but not all
Emergency relief flights could begin as early as Thursday - but authorities repeatedly stressed that the window to double down on safety measures is closing. "Don't bet against Melissa," warned minister Desmond McKenzie, "it is a bet we can't win"
Evan Thompson is asked what conditions Jamaicans can expect from the eye of the hurricane.
He explains that the eye itself is a calm area in the centre of the storm where "it'll appear as if it's all done".
It extends a few miles in diameter, where there'll be "very little cloud cover and very little wind".
But just before the eye is the eye wall, where Thompson says "you will have the most intense wind speeds and the most torrential downpours".
After the eye, it will come back once again with winds coming from the opposite direction. The eye wall winds could reach about 185 miles per hour, he says.
"You have to prepare yourself for that," he says.
He also warns citizens to watch out for tornadoes which can be spawned during hurricanes, and says it could be a few days before the weather clears over the island.
As she brings the news conference to a close, Education Secretary Dana Morris Dixon urges Jamaicans to stay safe and says the gathered officials must leave to assess the storm as "we are already seeing flooding in St Elizabeth".
This news conference from Jamaican authorities on Hurricane Melissa has ended. This will be their last briefing until the storm passes We will continue to bring you updates as the hurricane approaches landfall, so stick with us.