Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to undergo rapid intensification and grow into a powerful Category 4 hurricane by early next week.

The National Hurricane Center's 8 p.m. Thursday update reported that Category 2 Hurricane Melissa is in the Atlantic Ocean, 260 miles west-southwest of Bermuda. The hurricane is moving northeast at 32 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph.

TRACKING THE TROPICS Tropical Storm Melissa formed on Tuesday in the Caribbean and is expected to become a hurricane by the weekend. Here's the latest track:

Melissa could intensify into an extremely strong Category 4 hurricane by early next week, with top sustained winds blowing at 140 to 145 mph.

Tropical Storm Melissa dumped heavy rain on parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday as forecasters warned of a significant flood risk in parts of the northern Caribbean this week.

Tropical Storm Melissa is forecast to linger in the Caribbean for several days. As the storm meanders over the very warm sea water Melissa is likely to gain strength. The National Hurricane Center shows the storm reaching hurricane strengthen sometime this weekend.

Hurricane Melissa left at least dozens dead and caused widespread destruction across Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica, where roofless homes, toppled utility poles and water-logged furniture dominated the landscape Wednesday.