The system, located in the Caribbean, is on track to rapidly intensify before the center of the storm moves near or just south of Jamaica early next week. Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather lead hurricane expert, described Melissa as a “slow-moving disaster.”

At 8 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 160 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 235 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 70 mph, is moving west-northwest at 1 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen into a hurricane, threatening the northern Caribbean with massive rainfall and life-threatening flooding

The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides" throughout Hispaniola.

Melissa is currently the only active tropical system in the Atlantic basin. As of Friday night, the storm remains nearly stationary, drifting north at just 2 mph. Maximum sustained winds are around 65 mph—just below the 75 mph threshold needed to reach Category 1 hurricane status.

Melissa is forecast to become a hurricane by Saturday, Oct. 25, and a major hurricane by Sunday, Oct. 26, the Hurricane Center said. Current forecasts predict Melissa will be a Category 4 storm early next week. A major hurricane is one that is a Category 3 or higher, with maximum sustained winds of at least 111 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa is nearly stationary in the central Caribbean, with forecasters warning it could soon strengthen and brush past Jamaica as a powerful hurricane.

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a hurricane and could soon rapidly intensify into a monstrous Category 4 or 5 storm.