Beyond Jamaica, Hurricane Melissa to blast Cuba, Bahamas before turning toward Bermuda

After crossing Jamaica , Melissa will remain a dangerous storm with flooding rain, high winds and destructive storm surge. The hurricane is forecast to cross eastern Cuba before reaching the central Bahamas and perhaps Bermuda as it accelerates northeastward. Depending on Melissa's exact track, there is the potential for impacts in Atlantic Canada and Europe.

Melissa has been producing areas of heavy rain and flooding since it began to organize over the Caribbean a week ago. The flooding has already claimed lives in Hispaniola, home to the Dominican Republic and Haiti.

While the storm's central core, or eyewall, will remain the most dangerous due to the combined effect of torrential rain, flooding and wind, areas of heavy rain will expand outwards hundreds of miles away from the center