Deadly Tropical Storm Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane as it headed toward Jamaica, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Saturday.
“Melissa has become a hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 km/h),” the NHC said. “Rapid intensification is expected, and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane tomorrow.”
Forecasters have warned that the storm is expected to drop massive amounts of rainfall, which could cause devastating flooding and mudslides in the northern Caribbean region.
Melissa has already caused the deaths of three people in Haiti. Two people were killed in a landslide on Thursday and a third was killed when a tree fell on them amid heavy rains earlier in the week.
A fourth person has died in the neighboring Dominican Republic, where another person is missing.
Nearly 200 homes have been destroyed in the Dominican Republic, while water supply to more than half a million people has been disrupted.
‘Catastrophic’ flood warning
In an update Saturday afternoon, the NHC said Melissa was about 235 miles (380 kilometers) southwest of Haiti as it slowly headed toward Jamaica.
Torrential rain is expected in Jamaica as well as Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Monday.
Forecasters have warned of the possibility of dangerous flooding and landslides.
Southeast Cuba is also expected to be affected and receive between 10 and 20 centimeters of rain.
Higher than normal hurricane season expected
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.
The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an above normal season with 13 to 18 named storms.
Scientists say that as the atmosphere warms, the intensity and frequency of such extreme weather events is increasing, largely due to human fossil-fuel use.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez and Zach Crellin