Jamaican fishers on cays and banks should head to safe harbor as Hurricane Matthew headed to the Caribbean country within hours, the meteorological service of Jamaica warned on the weekend.

Dangerously high water combined with exceptionally high waves and winds averaging 118 km per hour or higher are expected to affect the country by Monday, it said.

Hurricane Matthew was ranked a Category 5 hurricane on Friday night, the top of the hurricane classification, making it the strongest since Hurricane Felix in 2007.