Hurricane Melissa reaches Category 4 status and threatens catastrophic flooding in Haiti and Jamaica.

MADRID, (EUROPA PRESS) - Hurricane Melissa strengthened in recent hours to Category 4 and could even reach Category 5 tonight, which could unleash torrential rains and catastrophic flooding in the northern Caribbean, including Haiti and Jamaica, according to the latest update published by the United States National Hurricane Center.

The arrival of "Melissa," which moves extremely slowly (1 km/h), has left four dead and 15 injured in Haiti this week. It was just a tropical storm, becoming a hurricane late Saturday.

Haitian Civil Protection reported this latest toll, which runs up to 6:00 p.m. last Friday, so the death toll could rise in the coming hours, according to the report published by Haiti Libre.

Forecasters are forecasting a northward and northeastward turn for Monday and Tuesday, and a Category 4 landfall could occur in Jamaica on Tuesday, with gusts of nearly 160 mph.