Storm Melissa exploded in strength overnight, barreling toward an expected landfall Tuesday on Jamaica as a major hurricane and threatening deadly floods in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

(Bloomberg) — Storm Melissa exploded in strength overnight, barreling toward an expected landfall Tuesday on Jamaica as a major hurricane and threatening deadly floods in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.

Melissa’s top winds reached 140 miles (225 kilometers) per hour early on Sunday, rising from 70 mph on Saturday. That makes it a Category 4 storm as it churns about 120 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, the US National Hurricane Center said in an advisory.

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With the increase in wind speed easily surpassing the benchmark for rapid intensification, Melissa is foreca

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