Catastrophic situation’ expected in Jamaica as ‘storm of the century’ to make landfall - At least seven people have already been killed as the storm batters the Caribbean with heavy winds and torrenti

Tropical Storm Melissa strengthened Friday afternoon and is likely to become a major hurricane by the start of next week.

HOUSTON — Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, with the possibility of intensifying to a Category 5 storm Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

At 11 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 155 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 235 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, is moving west-northwest at 1 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa is on track to threaten Haiti as a hurricane over the weekend, bringing heavy rains and life-threatening flooding to the island nation. Jamaica and Cuba also could feel the effects as the storm meanders slowly north in the Caribbean.

Tropical Storm Melissa began dumping heavy rain on Hispaniola on Tuesday as forecasters warned of a significant flood risk in parts of the Caribbean region later this week. The rains snarled traffic in the Dominican Republic’s capital,

Hurricane Melissa is moving extremely slowly through the Caribbean Sea, where it is expected to have catastrophic impacts on Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba in the coming days. You can track it all with the maps below,

Hurricane Melissa is expected to lash the Caribbean with Category 5 heavy rain and gusty winds on Monday. Forecasters are issuing red alerts for Jamaica, warning of potentially life-threatening flooding.