This is CNN Breaking News.

Welcome to the lead. I'm Jake Tapper. We begin with major breaking news in our world lead. The National Weather Service has just issued an update for the Caribbean.

As Jamaica braces for a monster Category 5 Hurricane Melissa to make landfall, expected to be the strongest to ever hit the

island of Jamaica. In fact, it's the strongest storm on Earth this year, and it's one of the

strongest storms on record in the Atlantic.

You're looking at live pictures from Jamaica. Authorities are urging mass evacuations and warnings.

Many communities will not survive this flooding with destructive winds up to 175 miles per hour

and storm surge peaking between 9 and 13 feet.

We're talking catastrophic and life-threatening flash floods, landslides, long-lasting power and communications, outages,

and communities being completely cut off from the world.

The storm is so strong, it even caused a hurricane hunter research plane to make the rare decision to abort its mission.

An official telling CNN that the plane and the crew were beat up bad.

We have live team coverage. CNN's Derek Van Dam is on the ground in Kingston, Jamaica,

and meteorologist Chris Warren is in the CNN Hurricane Center.

Chris, the National Weather Service, just released a major update.

What is the latest?

Well, the latest, it is still a Category 5, 175-mile-per-hour hurricane. But, Jake, the latest, it is still a category 5, 175 mile per hour hurricane.

But Jake, the subtle aspect to this, the subtle change is significant.

It is moving northwest at three miles an hour.

It was west northwest, so showing signs that it's starting to do a little bit more of a turn and heading toward Jamaica,

which is not too far off. Here is Jamaica and this right in here, right around the eye.

That is the most dangerous part of this hurricane. That's the part with 175 mile per hour.

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