Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba this morning as an "extremely dangerous" Category 3 hurricane, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.

Jamaica’s prime minister, Andrew Holness, has ordered a mandatory evacuation of low lying areas as the island prepares for Hurricane Melissa to make landfall.

Its unusual strength is attributed to exceptionally warm ocean waters, with scientists linking this to human-caused climate change, which is predicted to lead to more intense storms globally.