Caribbean islands brace for Melissa ahead of it strengthening into major hurricane

Tropical Storm Melissa heads to Caribbean islands

All eyes are still on Tropical Storm Melissa as it continues to swirl in the Caribbean. FOX 13 Meteorologist Nash Rhodes said the storm is weakening but will gain strength over the next few days and become a major hurricane. Rhodes said it is unclear where exactly Melissa will go next, but tropical storm watches are up for portions of the Caribbean Islands. Rhodes says there is the potential for damaging flash flooding and mudslides due to a large amount of rain falling over a short period of time. He added that Melissa will take a turn to the north and east, away from the United States.

TAMPA, Fla. - Tropical Storm Melissa may appear to be struggling as it slowly swirls in the Caribbean, but it is expected to become a hurricane by Friday and a Category 4 storm next week.

As of Thursday at 2 p.m., Melissa was about 300 miles to the southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and about 240 miles to the south-southeast of Kingston, Jamaica.

It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph with some higher gusts, and it is crawling off to the west-northwest at 2 mph. Tropical-storm-force winds extend 115 miles from the storm's center.

The NHC said that slow movement is expected to continue along with a gradual turn to the northwest and north over the next few days, followed by a turn back to the west by the end of this week.

FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber said as Melissa finds its way into an area where the conditions are more favorable for development, the storm will take off and is expected to become a Category 4 hurricane with 130 mph winds by early Tuesday morning.

He added that the storm will cause torrential rain and wind due to the slow motion.  

"This is going to be a very dangerous situation across the Caribbean as we head through the coming week, "Weber stated.

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A Hurricane Watch has been issued for parts of Haiti, including Port-au-Prince, and a Tropical Storm Watch has been issued for Jamaica.

The NHC said that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area in Haiti starting on Friday, and tropical storm conditions are possible in Jamaica by Friday.

According to the NHC, 5–10 inches of rain, with locally higher amounts, could fall in southern areas of the Dominican Republic, southern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Sunday.

Computer forecast models have yet to come into agreement as to where Tropical Storm Melissa is going, but it appears as though Jamaica and Haiti could see some significant impacts.

Some models have Tropical Storm Melissa making a turn to the north over Jamaica and Hispaniola, while others bring the center of the storm to Nicaragua in Central America.

Weber said Melissa will stay east of the United States.