At least 7 dead across the Caribbean as storm becomes strongest on the planet - At least four people have already been killed as the storm batters the Caribbean with heavy winds and torrential rainfal

Tropical Storm Melissa is lumbering through the Caribbean Sea and bringing a risk of dangerous landslides and life-threatening flooding to Jamaica and southern Hispaniola.

Hurricane Melissa was sustaining Category 4 strength late Sunday and may get stronger while threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean

Hurricane Melissa is now a Category 5 storm, capable of dumping catastrophic rainfall in addition to the powerful winds it's packing. The monster storm has begun to impact Jamaica, Cuba and Haiti, and it's expected to cause life-threatening problems for days during its slow crawl through the Caribbean.

Melissa is expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a major hurricane this weekend, bringing “life-threatening and catastrophic” flash flooding and landslides to the Caribbean.

Melissa has already turned deadly across Haiti and the Dominican Republic, but AccuWeather meteorologists warn that the worst may be yet to come with the storm on track to intensify.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides" throughout Hispaniola.

Unlike other storms in this hurricane season, Melissa is likely to have a devastating effect on some of the most populated islands in the Caribbean.

A new tropical storm has formed over the central Caribbean. Melissa could strengthen later this week as it moves toward Haiti and Jamaica.

Hurricane Melissa has strengthened into a major Category 4 hurricane, with the possibility of intensifying to a Category 5 storm Sunday night, unleashing torrential rain and threatening to cause catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean,