Melissa, Caribbean and National Hurricane Center
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Forecasters warned it could strengthen and swipe Jamaica as a powerful hurricane and dump a staggering amount of rain.
Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane late Saturday, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica.
Tropical Storm WARNING:Southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with theDominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince.
Tropical Storm Melissa formed in the Caribbean Sea Tuesday and is expected to become the year’s fifth Atlantic hurricane early Saturday in southern Jamaica before rapidly intensifying into a Category 3 monster by early Monday in the western Caribbean, according to the National Hurricane Center.