Melissa Strengthens To Category 3 Hurricane

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a major Category 3 hurricane, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica. Melissa became a hurricane on Saturday and then intensified rapidly into a major storm. U.S. forecasters have issued a hurricane warning for Jamaica and say Melissa could further strengthen into a Category 4 storm. Melissa was centered about 125 miles (200 kilometers) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica late Saturday night, and about 280 miles (455 kilometers) west-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 115 mph (185 kph), the hurricane center said.