Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica are bracing for Hurricane Melissa. The storm is expected to quickly grow into a powerful category 3 or stronger hurricane.

Melissa has rapidly intensified into a major hurricane and is bringing life-threatening rainfall, landslides and storm surge to Jamaica, Haiti and elsewhere.

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.

Why meteorologists are so concerned about Tropical Storm Melissa when it becomes a hurricane near Jamaica, Haiti, the Cayman Islands, and Cuba.

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 is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane and bring "catastrophic" flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Tropical Storm Melissa may quickly intensify into a hurricane today, according to the National Hurricane Center's latest forecast. The slow-moving system is swirling over the Caribbean, and officials there are preparing for flooding,

Tropical Storm Melissa is set to intensify this weekend, and Jamaica and other Caribbean islands are bracing for harsh weather, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center in Miami said Thursday morning.