The U.S. Air Force's "Hurricane Hunters" have flown inside the eye of Hurricane Melissa, capturing eerie footage of the historic storm that is expected to cause widespread devastation in Jamaica.

A new tropical storm has formed over the central Caribbean. Melissa could strengthen later this week as it moves toward Haiti and Jamaica.

A US Air Force squadron flew into the eye of the raging storm Melissa, a Category 5 hurricane, to capture its stunning images.

The National Hurricane Center's 1 p.m. Tuesday advisory reported that Category 5 Hurricane Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 55 miles south-southeast of Negril Jamaica and 265 miles southwest of Guantanamo Cuba. With maximum sustained winds of 175 mph, the hurricane is moving to the north-northeast at 7 mph.

The Caribbean is bracing for an unprecedented disaster as Major Hurricane Melissa has exploded into a Category 5 behemoth, threatening a catastrophic combination of destructive winds and life-threatening,

Tropical Storm Melissa is set to intensify this weekend, and Jamaica and other Caribbean islands are bracing for harsh weather, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday morning.