Hurricane Melissa strengthened Sunday into a Category 4 storm and could potentially intensify even more as it is projected to bring torrential rain and catastrophic flooding to parts of the northern Caribbean, including Jamaica and Haiti.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Jamaica was already experiencing damaging winds and heavy rainfall Sunday, warning that the storm could bring up to 40 inches of rain and cause life-threatening flash floods and landslides. Forecasters said Melissa — the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season — could strengthen to a Category 5 storm by Sunday night.

National Hurricane Center

The NHC said the slow-moving storm was undergoing "extreme rapid intensification" Sunday, with wind speeds increasing by 70 mph in just 24 hours. The storm wa

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