KINGSTON, Jamaica(AP) — Hurricane Melissa was strengthening rapidly late Saturday, threatening to become a major hurricane and cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica.

Melissa became a hurricane on Saturday, prompting U.S. forecasters to issue a hurricane warning for Jamaica, saying it could reach the island as a major storm early next week. Forecasters warned that Melissa could reach Category 4.

“Life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of southern Hispaniola and Jamaica into early next week,” the U.S. National Hurricane Center said Saturday evening.

As of late Saturday, Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 100 mph (155 kph), and was located about 130 miles (210 kilometers) southeast of Kingsto

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