Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica.

Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane and bring "catastrophic" flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Haiti is expected to see catastrophic flash floods and landslides early next week causing “extensive infrastructural damage and potentially prolonged isolation of communities.” The southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border of the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince, was placed under a hurricane watch and a tropical-storm warning.

Melissa is projected to approach Jamaica this weekend, make landfall by early next week, and be near or over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.

Hurricane Melissa is heading for the northern Caribbean but will spare Louisiana. The storm has already killed at least three people in Haiti and one in the Dominican Republic.

Although Jamaica has been hit by many hurricanes, a storm stronger than Category 3 has never made landfall on the island.

Can the pace of a storm be its most dangerous weapon? Tropical Storm Melissa is showing why the answer can be yes. Drifting north-northwest at only 2 mph, slower than the pace of a casual walk, Melissa lingers over the Caribbean,