KINGSTON, Jamaica — Hurricane Melissa weakened to a Category 4 storm an hour after it made landfall in Jamaica.

According to the latest advisory of the National Hurricane Center, at 2:00 pm, the center of Hurricane Melissa was located near latitude 18.5 North, longitude 77.7 West.

Melissa is moving toward the north-northeast near 8 mph (13 km/h).

A turn toward the northeast with an increase in forward speed is expected Tuesday evening, followed by a faster northeastward motion on Wednesday and Thursday.

On the forecast track, the core of Melissa will move away from western Jamaica on Tuesday evening. After that, the centre is expected to move over southeastern Cuba, later Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning. It is expected to move across the southeastern or central Bahamas later on Wednesday, and approach Bermuda Thursday and Thursday night.

Maximum sustained winds are near 145 mph (230 km/h) with higher gusts.  Melissa is a category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

It  is expected to reach southeastern Cuba as an extremely dangerous major hurricane, and it could still be a major hurricane when it moves across the southeastern Bahamas.

NOAA and Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft will be investigating Melissa on Tuesday evening.

Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 195 miles (315 km).

The estimated minimum central pressure is 921 mb (27.20 inches).