Hurricane Melissa threatened Jamaica Monday with potentially deadly rains after rapidly intensifying into a top-level Category 5 storm, as residents scrambled for shelter from what could be the island’s most violent weather on record.

Melissa has already been blamed for at least four deaths in Haiti and the Dominican Republic, and was set to unleash torrential rains on parts of Jamaica in a direct hit on the Caribbean island.

Part of the punch stems from Melissa’s worryingly slow pace: it’s lumbering along slower than most people walk, at just three miles per hour or less.

So areas in its path could endure punishing conditions for far longer than a hurricane that passes by more quickly.

Melissa is packing maximum winds nearing 165 miles (270 kilometers) per hour, the US National Hurric

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