All maps are from the National Hurricane Center. Melissa strengthens to a Category 5 hurricane and is forecast to make landfall in Jamaica Hurricane Melissa’s track Hurricane Melissa’s timing and wind speeds Hurricane Melissa’s rainfall forecast Hurricane Melissa’s key messages Sign up for the Today newsletter Get everything you need to know to start your day,

The intensity of a hurricane is measured by its maximum sustained wind speed, and when that speed increases by at least 35 miles per hour in a 24-hour period — or roughly two categories on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale — meteorologists call that “rapid intensification.”

Hurricane Melissa’s exceptional power, endurance and ability to overcome obstacles stunned meteorologists. Here’s what to know.

Jamaica is expected to be in the storm's eyewall, which refers to the band of dense clouds surrounding the eye of the hurricane. The eyewall generally produces the fiercest winds and heaviest rainfall, according to Deanna Hence, a professor of climate, meteorology and atmospheric sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

The storm, which is set to make landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday, has stunned meteorologists with its intensity and the speed at which it built.

Finally, sea-levels are rising, mainly due to a combination of melting glaciers and ice sheets, and the fact that warmer water takes up more space. Local factors can also play a part. This means storm surges happen on top of already elevated sea levels, worsening coastal flooding.

During Hurricane Melissa’s wrath on the Caribbean, hurricane hunters played a crucial role in collecting data on Melissa’s sustained wind speeds and minimum central pressure. During one of the final intercepts of Hurricane Melissa prior to landfall in Jamaica,

Hurricane Melissa’s powerful winds and drenching rains devastated Jamaica. But is its wrath a sign that we need a new designation for monster storms?