Tropical Storm Melissa strengthens as it takes aim at Jamaica, expected to become major hurricane

Tropical Storm Melissa maintains its strength

FOX 13 Meteorologist Nash Rhodes is keeping an eye on Tropical Storm Melissa which hasn’t gained or lost strength in the Caribbean since yesterday. However, Melissa is expected to become a major hurricane over the next few days. How strong Melissa gets will depend on whether it interacts with the mountainous islands. He said tropical storm warnings are in effect for Jamaica and Haiti. The American computer model has the storm just east of Jamaica and then turning to the north and east, but the European model has keeps Melissa south and west of Jamaica. He said rain will be the biggest threat to the islands. Rhodes says it is a slow-moving system that will eventually move to the north and east, away from the United States.

TAMPA, Fla. - Tropical Storm Melissa strengthened Friday afternoon and is likely to become a major hurricane by the start of next week.

What we know:

The storm was located about 260 miles to the southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and about 140 miles to the southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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Melissa’s winds were at 65 miles per hour on Friday night. FOX 13 Meteorologist Jim Weber did note that he was starting to see deeper convection at the center of the storm earlier Friday, which means the storm would intensify.

Weber expects the storm to either move over Jamaica or very close to the island.

What they're saying:

"This could be a major hurricane as it moves over Jamaica," Weber said. "Then the rainfall because it’s moving so slowly. We’re talking over a foot of rain, so this is life-threatening, flash-floods, mudslides. Really, the worst-case scenario across Jamaica, stretching over toward Haiti with some of that rain as well."

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Jamaica's government issued a hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning on Thursday morning. Similar alerts have been issued for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti, including Port-au-Prince.

The NHC said that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch areas in Jamaica and Haiti starting on Saturday.

What's next:

Computer forecast models have come into better agreement that Tropical Storm Melissa will track south of Jamaica and Haiti, with those countries being on the strong side of the storm for several days as Melissa potentially rapidly intensifies into a hurricane.

From there, most models have Tropical Storm Melissa making a turn to the north, some over Jamaica and Cuba, and others have the storm moving northward closer to Hispaniola before tracking out to sea and staying east of the United States.