AccuWeather meteorologists are expecting life-threatening flooding in Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Cuba, leading to a potential humanitarian crisis in the days ahead.

Melissa strengthened into a hurricane southeast of Jamaica and is set to rapidly grow, raising the risk for catastrophic flooding and wind damage across Jamaica and the Caribbean, where the storm has already killed at least four people.

How a hurricane forms and strengthens . Only when tropical cyclones in the Atlantic Ocean encounter the right ingredients for long enough do they strengthen to the point of design

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

Fishermen lift and secure a small boat along the shoreline as they prepare for the arrival of Tropical Storm Melissa, which is forecast to bring heavy rain and strong winds, in Kingston, Jamaica, October 25,

An intensifying Melissa is expected to bring destructive flooding to Jamaica, southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic before tracking toward Cuba next week.

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.