A strengthening Melissa grew in a Category 4 hurricane and could reach Category 5 status Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

The weather agency added Melissa is likely to reach the southern coast of Jamaica as a major hurricane late Monday or Tuesday morning, and urged people on the island to seek shelter immediately. Advertisement

“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”

Melissa was centered about 115 miles south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 295 miles south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday morn

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