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

Hurricane Melissa is expected to strengthen before possible landfall along the Caribbean Islands. WESH 2's award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring the tropical system and will continue to provide updates.

U.S. forecasters issued a hurricane warning for Jamaica Saturday as Storm Melissa reached hurricane strength, threatening catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean.

The storm hit 75 mph winds to attain hurricane status on Saturday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said. A tropical storm becomes a hurricane when its winds reach 74 mph. Melissa is set to become a major hurricane before the end of the weekend.

Officials across the Caribbean prepare for days of heavy rain from the storm.

Tropical Storm Melissa grounded to a halt over the central Caribbean about 150 miles south of Jamaica and Haiti early Friday.

Tropical Storm Melissa is barely moving through the Caribbean, and that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous. The longer it lingers, the more rain it dumps. Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic could face days of relentless downpours and mudslides.