Hurricane Melissa, already a major Category 4 storm, would likely intensify into a top-level Category 5 storm, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said on Monday.

Hurricane Melissa is gathering steam as it is set to make landfall in Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean on Sunday. Melissa was packing maximum winds of about 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour but continued to move at a slow pace.

This has raised concerns because if Melissa does not gather pace it means that areas in its path could see punishing conditions for far longer than a hurricane that passes by more quickly, as per the US NHC. Melissa is currently moving at just five miles an hour.

Jamaica and other parts of the Caribbean felt the intensity of Melissa and forecasters predicted catastrophic flooding and urged

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