The National Hurricane Center is keeping a close eye on Tropical Storm Melissa, which is expected to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane.

The National Hurricane Center's 8 p.m. Friday update reported that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 190 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 225 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. Packing maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, it is tracking north at 2 mph.

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

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to undergo rapid intensification and grow into a powerful Category 4 hurricane by early next week.

Life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are expected in portions of Jamaica and southern Hispaniola through the weekend.

The National Hurricane Center's 5 p.m. Thursday advisory reported that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 220 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 280 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The system, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, is moving north-northwest at 2 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen into a hurricane and is forecast to become a major hurricane by early next week.

Tropical Storm Melissa continues to spin in the central Caribbean Sea, where the island nation of Jamaica lies almost directly in the path of the burgeoning hurricane. While Hispaniola and Cuba are also in the line of fire,

At 2 a.m. Saturday, the National Hurricane Center issued an advisory stating that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 190 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 225 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The system is moving north at 2 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph.