Caribbean, Melissa and hurricane
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Melissa increased into a near hurricane and is forecast to rapidly intensify into a possible Category 5 through portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica.
The storm was forecast to dump up to 25 inches of rain over Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Jamaica as it continues to strengthen this weekend.
Melissa has already turned deadly across Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the worst may be yet to come with the storm on track to intensify.
Forecasters warned it could strengthen and swipe Jamaica as a powerful hurricane and dump a staggering amount of rain.
Why meteorologists are so concerned about Tropical Storm Melissa when it becomes a hurricane near Jamaica, Haiti, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba.