Melissa is approaching hurricane status and will bring torrential rains to the Caribbean.

KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to strengthen into a hurricane Saturday, as forecasters warned of torrential rains and potentially life-threatening flooding and mudslides in the northern Caribbean and a staggering 35 inches (89 centimeters) of rain forecast for southwestern Haiti.

The erratic, slow-moving meteor has claimed the lives of at least three people in Haiti and a fourth in the Dominican Republic, where one person is also missing.

Rainfall is expected to dump up to 25 inches (64 centimeters) in Jamaica and southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Monday, with the possibility of up to 35 inches (89 centimeters) on Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC).

"If that rain were to occur, we'd be talking about potentially catastrophic flooding," said Jamie Rhome, the center's deputy director.

Melissa was located about 290 kilometers southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 390 kilometers southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 100 kph (65 mph) and was moving northwest at 6 kph (3 mph), according to the NHC.

A hurricane watch and a tropical storm watch have been issued for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti.

Melissa's center is expected to approach or pass over Jamaica early next week, forecasters said.

Melissa is expected to strengthen into a Category 3 or higher hurricane on Sunday and could reach Category 4 strength by early Monday, according to U.S. forecasters.

The forecast indicates the storm could hit eastern Cuba early Wednesday morning, where it could dump up to 30 centimeters of rain in some areas.

The Bahamas Meteorological Department said Melissa could bring tropical storm or hurricane conditions to the southeastern and central islands of the country, as well as Turks and Caicos, early next week.

Jamaican authorities warned that all airports will close within 24 hours if a hurricane warning is issued. More than 650 shelters have been set up.

The island's warehouses were well stocked, and thousands of food packages had been prepared for rapid distribution if necessary, they added.

“I urge Jamaicans to take this climate threat seriously,” said Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness. “Take all measures to protect yourselves.”

Melissa has caused damage to nearly 200 homes in the Dominican Republic and water outages affecting more than half a million customers. It also toppled trees and traffic lights, triggered a couple of small landslides, and left more than two dozen communities isolated by flooding.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30.

The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted a more active season than usual, with between 13 and 18 named storms.