TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Hurricane Melissa went through rapid intensification on Saturday, jumping from a Category 2 to a Category 4 by early Sunday morning, the National Hurricane Center said.

Melissa is moving west very slowly, only around 3 mph, and is now 110 miles south of Kingston, Jamaica, and 280 miles southwest of Guantanamo, Cuba. It's expected to continue westward through Sunday before turning toward the north-northeast on Monday.

Forecast models have Melissa moving over Jamaica on Tuesday, across Cuba Tuesday night, and across the southeastern Bahamas on Wednesday.

“Conditions (in Jamaica) are going to go down rapidly today,” Jamie Rhome, the center’s deputy director, said on Sunday. “Be ready to ride this out for several days.”

Because it's moving so slowly, the hurricane is expected to dump tons of rain on the area, with Jamaica and Hispaniola preparing for between 15 and 30 inches. Eastern Cuba is also forecast to get significant amounts of rain, likely between six and 12 inches........

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