NEW ORLEANS ( WGNO) — Hurricane Melissa has become a truly historic storm — a powerful, slow-moving Category 5 hurricane that’s now setting its sights on Jamaica. The storm has strengthened rapidly and is packing devastating winds and torrential rainfall, with conditions expected to go downhill quickly late tonight into Tuesday.

Melissa is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane and bring life-threatening rainfall, landslides and storm surge to Jamaica, Haiti and elsewhere.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to bring days of heavy rain to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica and may trigger life-threatening flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center says.

Melissa has already killed three people in Haiti and Jamaica each and one person in the Dominican Republic. United Nations staff are preparing to deploy to Cuba and Jamaica this week as the region nervously awaits landfall of Hurricane Melissa.

A powerful hurricane is barreling toward Jamaica with anticipation that it will be the strongest storm to hit the Caribbean island in modern history. Hurricane Melissa began rapidly intensifying over the weekend.