Tropical Storm Melissa takes aim at Caribbean, islands on alert

The tempest could turn into a hurricane by Friday and a large 1 by the precocious weekend.

Tropical Storm Melissa is threatening the Caribbean Sea islands with unsafe landslides and life-threatening flooding, arsenic officials impulse residents of flood-prone areas to question higher crushed and shelter.

Jamaica’s eastbound portion could spot up to 12 inches (300mm) of rain. “Now that is important rainfall, and that is the main happening that we should beryllium mindful of astatine this time,” Evan Thompson, manager of Jamaica’s Meteorological Service, said.

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Similar rainfall amounts were expected for confederate Haiti and the confederate Dominican Republic done Saturday, with adjacent much rainfall imaginable locally, depending connected Melissa’s way aboriginal successful the week.

Heavy rainfall was besides forecast for occidental Jamaica, confederate Hispaniola, Aruba and Puerto Rico.

Melissa had maximum sustained winds of 50mph (85km/h) and was moving westbound astatine 2mph (4km/h) precocious connected Wednesday night, according to the US National Hurricane Center successful Miami.

The slow-moving tempest was centred astir 335 miles (535km) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and immoderate 295 miles (475km) south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

The NHC said the tempest could fortify gradually successful the coming days and turn into a hurricane by Friday and a large hurricane by the precocious weekend.

Heavy rains successful the Dominican Republic person already disrupted postulation and led to the cancellation of sports events.

Melissa is the 13th named tempest of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the archetypal named tempest to signifier successful the Caribbean this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted an above-normal Atlantic hurricane play – which runs from June 1 to November 30 – with 13 to 18 named storms.

Of those, 5 to 9 were forecast to go hurricanes, including 2 to 5 large hurricanes, which battalion winds of 111mph oregon greater.