Jamaica issued a Hurricane Watch and Tropical Storm Warning Thursday morning. The island nation is expected to see hurricane conditions, including life-threatening flash flooding, from Tropical Storm Melissa beginning Friday afternoon.

According to the National Hurricane Center's 4 a.m. Sunday advisory, Category 3 Hurricane Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 125 miles south-southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 280 miles west-southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. The hurricane is moving to the west at 3 mph, with maximum sustained winds of 115 mph.

Melissa may be struggling now, but it is expected to rapidly intensify. It's also going to be a slow mover into early next week. Here's what that means for its forecast.

With slow-moving Tropical Storm Melissa expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Saturday as it churns towards Jamaica and southwest Haiti, the United Nations said Friday it's actively helping the Caribbean respond to any devastation.

Jamaica’s two international airports would shutter their operations within 24 hours of the hurricane watch now in effect for the island being upgraded to a hurricane warning. For now, both the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay and the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) in Kingston are operating as usual.