Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Cuba overnight after battering Jamaica as one of the most powerful landfalling storms in Atlantic basin history.

Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, has pledged an initial $1.5 million through his foundation to aid Hurricane Melissa relief efforts across Jamaica and the Caribbean.

The capitals and exclamation points are warranted. Hurricane Melissa is an extraordinary storm, even among the many massive, fast-growing, devastating cyclones that have been erupting in the Atlantic Ocean in recent years.

Today, Today, several developments occurred. Melissa changed into hurricane, before turning into a Category 5 hurricane. Then, it weakened to a Category 4 hurricane and eventually became a Category 3 hurricane before being downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane with sustained winds of 125 mph.

Matthew Cappucci, a senior meteorologist at MyRadar and storm chaser, spoke with NBC News’ Kate Snow about his experience flying into the eye of Hurricane Melissa aboard a NOAA aircraft and the concerns over the Category 5 storm making landfall.

Jamaica is bracing for potentially its strongest storm to ever impact the island, as the slow-moving, major Category 5 hurricane closes in. AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson reports from Lake County, FL, where 16 inches of rain in 6 hours triggered a rare flash flood emergency, washing out roads and flooding homes.