Everything you need to know about 'storm of the century' Hurricane Melissa following tragic deaths

Each new year and weather season has its own collection of storms significant enough to be named, but few can match the significant and danger exhibited by Hurricane Melissa as it heads towards Jamaica in the next few hours.

There have already been some horrific weather conditions this year, including an apocalyptic 'wall of dust' that engulfed Arizona in late August, yet nothing seems to be comparable to the hurricane that's about to hit Jamaica.

Identified properly in the last day, many scientists have issued severe warnings for anyone in the path of the terrifying Hurricane Melissa, with Jamaica in particular bracing for what could be the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island on record.

As reported by the BBC, meteorologists have warned that residents will face "catastrophic and life-threatening" conditions in what will be the strongest storm of the year so far, and it has already caused at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.

Featuring wind speeds of up to 175 miles per hour (282 kilometers per hour), Hurricane Melissa is classified as category five, which is the strongest a storm can be, leaving many understandably horrified, and it's comparatively slow pace could leave areas with extreme flooding and deadly landslides.

Jamaica's National Emergency Operation Center has made its final briefing until the hurricane passes through the country, but the eye of the storm is expected to hit the island at around midday local time, although it will 'weaken' to a category four storm as it passed through.

The island has already been hit by significant power cuts leaving roughly 200,000 residents without any electricity, and large parts have already been evacuated as a precaution.

Desmond McKenzie, Jamaica's Minister of Local Government, has urged residents to take the appropriate safety measures, warning people that "this is not the time to be brave." McKenzie continued: "Don't bet against Melissa.It is a bet we can't win."

Footage captured from planes entering the eye of the storm has been shared across social media, with the relatively calm center stretching several miles while aggressive clouds and storms surround, effectively closing the plane off from the outside world.

It is within that eye of the storm that things can be most dangerous for those affected by the hurricane though, as it makes it seem as if everything has passed but before you know it the extreme winds and rainfall will pick up once again, leaving those who have put themselves at risk in severe danger.