Meteorologists at the National Hurricane Center (NHC) reported that the tropical storm Melissa formed late Tuesday morning over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea, which led to the issuance of hurricane and tropical storm watches to the expected impacts.
Melissa, who had previously been designated as Invest 98L, will continue to grow stronger and is expected to reach category 1 hurricane as it slowly moves through the central Caribbean over the next few days.
According to the NHC, Melissa has maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 km/h). and is located at approximately 300 miles (480 km) south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, westward at about 13 mph (21 km/h). It is expected to decrease of its speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north over the next few days.
With this track, tropical storm Melissa would approach southwest of Haiti and Jamaica by the end of this week. As a result, a hurricane watch for parts of Haiti, including Port-au-Prince, and a tropical storm watch for Jamaica.
The NHC warned that hurricane conditions are possible in the area under watch in Haiti as of Thursday, while tropical storm conditions could be felt in Jamaica Thursday through Friday.
Meteorologists also indicated that there is a increased risk of flooding in sectors of Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with accumulations of 5 to 10 inches (13 to 25 cm) of rain -and locally higher amounts- through Friday. These rains could cause flash floods, landslides and mudslides, and avalanches in mountainous areas.
At Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica could be registered from 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.5 cm) rainfall through Friday, with the possibility of urban and flash flooding. In addition, the NHC warned that the swell generated by Melissa will be extended to Hispaniola, Jamaica and eastern Cuba, causing high waves and rip currents on the coasts.
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