KINGSTON, Jamaica (AFP) — Hurricane Melissa strengthened into a Category 3 storm on Saturday, cutting a deadly path in the Caribbean, with further intensification expected over the weekend as it took a worryingly slow course toward Jamaica and the island of Hispaniola, forecasters said.

As a Category 3 storm packing winds of 115 miles (185 kilometres) per hour, Melissa was already blamed for three deaths in Haiti earlier in the week, as its outer bands brought heavy rains and landslides to the impoverished nation.

In the Dominican Republic, which shares the island of Hispaniola with Haiti, a 79-year-old man was found dead after being swept away in a stream, local officials said Saturday. A 13-year-old boy was missing.

Melissa was expected to set off “life-threatening and catastrophic” flooding and landslides in Jamaica, as well as in southern portions of Hispaniola, the United States (US) National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

“Rapid intensification is forecast to continue over the next day or so, and Melissa is forecast to become a major hurricane Sunday”, NHC officials said, adding “it is expected to still be a major hurricane when making landfall in Jamaica early next week”.

On Saturday evening, Melissa was about 125 miles southeast of the Jamaican capital Kingston, and about 280 miles southwest of Haiti’s Port-au-Prince. The hurricane was moving at crawl of three mph.

Melissa could batter both countries for multiple days before heading north and threatening eastern Cuba.

In the Dominican Republic, Angelita Francisco fled her Santo Domingo neighbourhood after her house was inundated by floodwater, causing her refrigerator to float away as trash bobbed around the home.

“You feel powerless, unable to do anything, just run away and leave everything behind,” the 66-year-old homemaker told AFP through tears.

The country’s emergency operations centre said nine of 31 provinces were on red alert Saturday due to risk of flash floods, rising rivers, and landslides.

Melissa could bring total rainfall of 15 to 30 inches (38 to 76 cm) in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica, the NHC said, with isolated areas receiving as much as 40 inches.

Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness on Friday urged residents of flood-prone areas to heed warnings and be prepared to evacuate.

“If you live in an area that was flooded before, expect that it will flood again,” he said.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from early June to late November.

The last major hurricane to impact Jamaica was Beryl in early July 2024 — an abnormally strong storm for the time of year.

Beryl brought downpours and heavy winds to Jamaica as it moved past off the island’s southern coast, leaving at least four people dead.