Miami (AFP) – Deadly storm Melissa strengthened Saturday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it cut a worryingly slow course toward the Caribbean island of Jamaica, forecasters said.
Currently packing winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, Melissa was expected to set off "life-threatening and catastrophic" flooding and landslides in Jamaica, as well as in southern portions of Hispaniola, the island comprised of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
"Rapid intensification is forecast to occur over the next couple of days and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane by Sunday," the NHC said in a Saturday afternoon bulletin, referring to storms with sustained winds in excess of 111 miles (178 kilometers) per hour.
Melissa was about 145 miles southeast of the Jamaican capital Kingston, and about 235 miles southwest of Haiti's Port-au-Prince. The hurricane was moving at crawl of 1 mph.
Three people in Haiti have already been killed this week as storm bands from Melissa lashed the impoverished nation with heavy downpours, provoking landslides.
Haiti could see hurricane conditions by late Saturday, the NHC said. Tropical storm conditions were expected in Jamaica by Saturday night, with hurricane conditions expected by Sunday or Monday.
Melissa could batter both countries for multiple days before heading north and threatening eastern Cuba.
Fears were growing that Melissa's extreme winds and rains could provoke life-threatening floods in the mountainous terrain of eastern Jamaica and western Haiti.
Melissa could bring total rainfall of 15 to 25 inches (38 to 64 cm) in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, the NHC said, with isolated areas receiving as much as 35 inches.
Residents in southwestern Haiti should begin "immediate preparations to protect life and property," the NHC said, warning the storm will likely cause "extensive infrastructural damage and potentially prolonged isolation of communities."
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Friday urged residents of flood-prone areas to heed warnings and be prepared to evacuate.
"If you live in an area that was flooded before, expect that it will flood again," he said.
Rains from Melissa already flooded several roads in Kingston, images from local media showed.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.
The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in early July 2024 -- an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.
Beryl brought downpours and heavy winds to Jamaica as it moved past off the island's southern coast, leaving at least four people dead.