Deadly storm Melissa strengthened Saturday afternoon into a Category 1 hurricane, with rapid intensification expected over the weekend as it cut a worryingly slow course toward the Caribbean island of Jamaica, forecasters said.

Currently packing winds of 75 miles (120 kilometers) per hour, Melissa was expected to set off "life-threatening and catastrophic" flooding and landslides in Jamaica, as well as in southern portions of Hispaniola, the island comprised of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

"Rapid intensification is forecast to occur over the next couple of days and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane by Sunday," the NHC said in a Saturday afternoon bulletin, referring to storms with sustained winds in excess of 111 miles (178

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