As an island country in the Caribbean Sea, hurricanes aren’t new in Jamaica. Hurricanes hovering over the island while continuously dumping rain and blasting Category 4 or 5 winds, however, are a different brand.

Forecasters are warning residents of Jamaica to "seek shelter now," as Melissa, a Category 4 hurricane, was making its way toward the Caribbean island nation early Monday. The storm was expected to make landfall along Jamaica's southern coast on Tuesday morning,

Melissa is forecast to rapidly intensify into a major hurricane and bring life-threatening rainfall, landslides and storm surge to Jamaica, Haiti and elsewhere.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to bring days of heavy rain to the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica and may trigger life-threatening flash flooding, the National Hurricane Center says.