Tropical Storm Melissa will become a major hurricane: latest forecast

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to intensify into a major hurricane over the weekend and cause flash flooding and catastrophic landslides in parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.

Here is the latest forecast:

Melissa is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane on Sunday when it hits the Caribbean with heavy rain and destructive winds.

Hurricane conditions are expected to first hit southern Haiti on Saturday and then reach Jamaica on Saturday night or Sunday morning.

It could potentially be the strongest hurricane to impact Jamaica in more than 35 years and could be a major multi-day hurricane, Sunday through Tuesday, as Melissa strengthens and moves extremely slowly near or south of the island.

The storm already caused the death of an elderly man in Haiti who was killed by a fallen tree, according to The Associated Press.

On Friday night, Tropical Storm Melissa continued to churn about 215 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, moving at just 2 mph. This extremely slow move appears to be the trend for several more days, giving it more opportunities to intensify significantly.

The current track shows that Melissa became a hurricane on Saturday and a major hurricane on Sunday, then experienced rapid strengthening through Monday to become a Category 4.

Further strengthening is possible early next week as it slowly moves south of Jamaica through Tuesday.

There is increasing confidence that Melissa will be a major multi-day hurricane for Jamaica, beginning Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning and lasting through Tuesday.

A major hurricane hitting the island for so many days will cause extensive wind damage and widespread power outages.

It could be the strongest hurricane to hit Jamaica in more than 35 years, when Hurricane Gilbert, also a Category 4 storm, hit the island in 1988.

Approximately 15 to 25 inches of rain is expected in parts of southwestern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Monday, although higher amounts are possible locally.

Between 6 and 12 inches of rain are expected in the rest of Haiti and the southern part of the Dominican Republic. Major and life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are possible in these areas over the weekend and early next week.