Hurricane Melissa rapidly intensified and became a Category 5 storm Monday morning as it churned toward Jamaica, where residents were urged to "seek shelter now."
The big picture: At least three deaths in Haiti and a fourth in the Dominican Republic were attributed to Melissa when it was a tropical storm and Jamaican Prime Minister Andrew Holness implored residents Sunday to "avoid taking unnecessary risks," with the Caribbean island nation expected to take a direct hit this week — potentially as a Category 5 hurricane.
