Overview
- The National Hurricane Center says Melissa is nearly stationary about 165 miles south-southeast of Kingston with 45 mph winds, with a brief drift north before turning west into the weekend.
- Forecast guidance calls for rapid intensification, with hurricane strength expected by Saturday and major-hurricane intensity by Sunday.
- A hurricane watch and tropical storm warning are in effect for Jamaica and Haiti’s southwestern peninsula, with the center likely to move near or just south of Jamaica early next week.
- Eight to 14 inches of rain are expected across southern Haiti, the southern Dominican Republic, and eastern Jamaica, with life-threatening flash flooding and landslides described as catastrophic for southern Haiti.
- Authorities report at least three deaths in Haiti, widespread water system outages affecting more than 500,000 customers in the Dominican Republic, UN shelters staged in southern Haiti, and Jamaican hospitals shifting to emergency mode.