Hurricane Melissa weakened to a Category 2 storm Wednesday afternoon after causing at least 36 deaths after hitting Jamaica, Haiti and Cuba since Tuesday.

Hurricane Melissa is slamming eastern Cuba on Wednesday morning, Oct. 29, after hammering Jamaica on Tuesday and causing widespread damage.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to rapidly intensify over the weekend into a Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center. The slow-moving storm is forecast to bring "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides to southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through the weekend.

Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to bring catastrophic flash flooding and landslides to parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.

Tropical Storm Melissa is nearly stationary in the central Caribbean, with forecasters warning it could soon strengthen and brush past Jamaica as a powerful hurricane.

Here's a look at where Tropical Storm Melissa is, where it's headed and the impacts it could have in Sarasota.

The capitals and exclamation points are warranted. Hurricane Melissa is an extraordinary storm, even among the many massive, fast-growing, devastating cyclones that have been erupting in the Atlantic Ocean in recent years.

Watch Jamaica live webcams capture Hurricane Melissa's landfall. Live webcam video as tropical storm nears Kingston, Montego Bay, Treasure Beach and more.