Hurricane Sandy slammed into Jamaica Wednesday, pounding the Caribbean island with heavy rains and powerful winds.

The streets of the capital, Kingston, are empty. Both international airports are closed, and cruise ships are staying away.

Sandy is a Category One storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale of hurricane intensity, but still dangerous with 130 kilometer-per-hour winds. Residents in Jamaica have been warned about life-threatening flash floods, mudslides and as much as 51 centimeters of rain.

Hurricane warnings are also posted for parts of Cuba and the central and northwestern Bahamas. Tropical storm warnings are posted for Haiti and the east coast of southern Florida.

Some computer models show Sandy moving up the U.S. east coast into colder waters and turning into a winter-like storm called a “nor'easter,” bringing high winds and chilly rain to coastal cities early next week.

Sandy is the 18th named storm of a busy Atlantic hurricane season, which began on June 1 and officially ends November 30.