(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Melissa, which is churning in the Caribbean, may strengthen to a major hurricane by the time is lashes the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica this weekend.
It appears Melissa will not pose a direct threat to the United States.
Here’s the latest forecast:
Melissa is starting to take a more northwesterly track, and if that continues, the storm will likely bring hurricane conditions to Jamaica beginning as early as Saturday and continuing through early next week.
At this time, it appears Jamaica and Haiti will take the brunt of this storm at first, with Cuba seeing impacts by the middle of next week.
High winds could reach Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Thursday and then Jamaica on Friday.
The most destructive rain and winds are expected for southwest Haiti and Jamaica, while the Dominican Republic will see weaker winds but intense rain.
Five to 10 inches of rain is forecast for southern Dominican Republic, Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Sunday. That heavy rainfall could spark life-threatening landslides, mudslides and flash flooding.
ABC News’ Geoffrey Bansen contributed to this report.
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