Tropical Storm Melissa continues to spin in the Caribbean. At the same time, "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides" are expected over portions of Southern Hispaniola and Jamaica through the weekend, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
The NHC said in a 2 p.m. ET advisory on Friday, Oct. 24, that Melissa was located about 250 miles southwest of Port-Au-Prince and 230 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with maximum sustained winds of 60 mph with higher gusts.
Melissa is forecasted to become a hurricane by Saturday and a major hurricane by Sunday, Oct. 26.
A hurricane watch is in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the country's shared border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince. The peninsula, along with Jamaica, is also under a tropical storm warning.
"Due to Melissa’s slow motion, the risk of a prolonged multi-day period of potentially damaging winds, heavy rainfall resulting in life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides, and storm surge continues to increase for Jamaica," NHC forecaster Philippe Papin said.
