Hurricane Melissa makes landfall in Cuba after pummeling Jamaica

• The storm killed three people in Haiti and another in the Dominican Republic. Officials also confirmed that three people died during preparations in Jamaica.
• In Cuba, more than 735,000 people evacuated ahead of what President Miguel Díaz-Canel said would be "a very difficult night."

Driving the news: The hurricane is moving over Cuba with winds up to 105 miles per hour, as of the National Hurricane Center's 8am ET update.

• Earlier Wednesday morning, Melissa made landfall with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph. It struck Cuba as a Category 3 storm and was centered 20 miles east of Chivirico, Cuba, and about 60 miles west-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba.
• The core of the storm is expected to move away from Cuba Wednesday and move into the Bahamas. Late Thursday, it is projected to pass near Bermuda.
• The storm is expected to drop 10 to 20 inches of rain on eastern Cuba, with up to 25 inches over the mountains. This could cause "life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flash flooding with numerous landslides," per the NWS.

Catch up quick: Melissa struck Jamaica as one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record.

• It brought 185 mph winds, downing trees and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands.

Go deeper: Jamaica braces for direct hit from potentially "catastrophic" Hurricane Melissa