KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa was sustaining Category 4 strength late Sunday and may get stronger while threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica.

Melissa is expected to move near or over Jamaica early Tuesday then cross Cuba into the southeastern Bahamas through Wednesday, the U.S. National Hurricane Center said.

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

Melissa was centered about 125 miles (205 kilometers) south-southwest of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 310 miles (495 kilometers) south-southwest of Guantánamo, Cuba, on Sunday night.

It had maximum sustained winds of 145 mph (230 kph) and was movi

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