Melissa is predicted to strengthen from a tropical storm into a serious hurricane this weekend, and it might deliver “life-threatening and catastrophic” flash flooding and landslides to Jamaica, Haiti and the Dominican Republic early subsequent week, the Miami-based Nationwide Hurricane Heart warns.
Melissa, the thirteenth named storm of the Atlantic season, is not anticipated to have main impacts on the mainland United States.
Melissa’s forecast and path
On Saturday morning, Melissa’s core was about 160 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 235 miles southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the hurricane center said. Most sustained winds had been 70 mph, with tropical storm-force winds extending some 115 miles from the storm’s heart. It was inching north at simply 1 mph.
CBS Information
It was forecast to turn out to be a hurricane by Saturday and a serious hurricane — that means a Category 3 or increased — by Sunday.
“It may intensify very quickly,” CBS Information climate anchor Lonnie Quinn stated Friday night.
Jamaica, Haiti and japanese Cuba ought to brace for “catastrophic rainfall, as much as practically 3 ft of rain,” Quinn stated. “Mountainous terrain — there’s going to be mudslides. I’m fearful for what we are going to discover by the point we get into subsequent week for this portion of the Caribbean.”
On prime of that, he warned, the storm could possibly be packing 140 mile per hour winds.
“Jamaica, I believe, goes to take the worst of it,” Quinn stated.
A hurricane warning was in impact for Jamaica. A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning had been in impact for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince.
Nikki Nolan / CBS Information 
Though Melissa was shifting north Friday, the hurricane heart stated it was forecast to take a flip to the west on Saturday and proceed that westward motion by means of Monday.
“On the forecast observe, the middle of Melissa is predicted to maneuver close to or over Jamaica early subsequent week and could possibly be close to or over japanese Cuba by the center of subsequent week,” the hurricane heart stated.
Rainfall forecasts
Melissa is predicted to drop as much as 25 inches of rain on elements of southern Haiti, the southern Dominican Republic and Jamaica by means of Tuesday, with increased quantities doable in some areas, the hurricane heart stated. Southeast Cuba might see as much as 12 inches of rain.
“Probably catastrophic flash flooding and landslides are doable throughout parts of Jamaica and the southern Dominican Republic, whereas catastrophic flash flooding is anticipated in southern Haiti,” forecasters stated.
NOAA/NESDIS/STAR 
Extra heavy rainfall is probably going past Tuesday, the hurricane heart stated, however uncertainty stays in regards to the extra prolonged forecast.
