Hurricane Melissa continued to pound the Caribbean on Oct. 26 and is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane, bringing heavy rain, catastrophic flooding, and landslides to parts of Jamaica and Haiti, forecasters said.
The system strengthened from a tropical storm into a hurricane Saturday afternoon, according to a 2 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center (NHC). Meteorologists earlier in the day warned Melissa could reach Category 4 strength, delivering torrential rainfall and destructive winds.
“Rapid intensification is forecast to occur over the next couple of days, and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane by Sunday,” the agency said….