Hurricane Melissa, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes ever, caused devastation in the Caribbean, killing at least 34 people. The storm made landfall in Jamaica on Tuesday with wind speeds of 185mph, making it the worst storm to hit the Caribbean country since records began some 174 years ago.

Melissa is a deadly Category 5 hurricane and is expected to become to worst hurricane in Jamaica's history before it travels north to Cuba.

Gathering data from planes inside hurricanes is a dangerous game and 52 lives have been lost since operations began in 1944.

Once described as a tropical paradise, the coastal town of Black River, Jamaica, is now being compared to “hell on Earth” after being ravaged by Hurricane Melissa.

Slow-moving hurricanes and tropical storms can be as dangerous as intense hurricanes, even when they are weaker. A textbook case of this happened in late October 1998.

Hurricane Melissa is expected to weaken into an extratropical cyclone on Friday, Oct. 31, the National Hurricane Center said.

Melissa underwent extreme rapid intensification, strengthening to a rare Category 5 with winds of 175 mph and stronger gusts, making it the strongest storm on the planet this year. Follow for live updates.