Hurricane Melissa is currently a Category 2 storm with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph as it moves offshore of eastern Cuba into the southwestern Atlantic, the National Hurricane Center said.

Hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated in eastern Cuba and a hurricane warning was in effect for the provinces of Granma, Santiago de Cuba, Guantanamo, Holguin and Las Tunas as Hurricane Melissa made landfall as a Category 3 storm early Wednesday.

Category 5 Hurricane Melissa has made landfall already in Jamaica and Cuba, as one of the strongest hurricanes to ever make landfall.