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Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane this weekend, as Jamaica and parts of the northern Caribbean gear up for the worst-case scenario.
Jamaica and Haiti are at the centre of Melissa's rage, including extreme rainfall flooding, wind damage, landslide threats and storm surge.
A hurricane warning is in effect for Jamaica, where strong winds are expected to begin tonight, while southern Haiti is under a hurricane watch.
As reported by CNN, Melissa has been moving at a slow pace for days, and the storm is centred 165 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and is packing winds up to 70 mph as of Saturday morning.
The slow movement has caused problems as torrential rain bands have swamped Haiti and the Dominican Republic for almost the whole week, causing flooding and triggering landslides.
At least three deaths have been reported in Haiti due to the storm, two of which were the result of a landslide, the Haitian Civil Protection Agency said in a statement.
In the Dominican Republic, at least one person has died, and more than 1,000 people have evacuated or been displaced, officials said Friday.
Melissa is forecasted to intensify into a Category 4 or stronger hurricane by Sunday afternoon, ramping up its destructive wind and storm surge threats alongside the intense rain as it tracks near or south of Jamaica through early next week.
The storm reaching Category 5 hurricane is also on the table, which could make Melissa the strongest hurricane on record to make landfall in Jamaica.
Jamaica, Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic will face the worst of the storm into at least early next week, followed by eastern Cuba, the southern Bahamas and Turks and Caicos.
Officials in the country are already preparing for the worst, as all public hospitals have been in "emergency mode" since Thursday evening, according to Christopher Tufton, Jamaica's Minister of Health and Wellness.
Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness urged people to take the threat seriously at a Friday news conference, "You have been given enough notice that (Melissa) is coming and that it could be disastrous, so take all measures to protect yourself."
