Tropical Storm Melissa continued to crawl through the Caribbean on Thursday. The system’s motion will remain very slow through next week.
As of the 8 p.m. advisory from the National Hurricane Center, Melissa is moving N at 2 mph.
A slow northwest or north motion is forecast during the next couple of days, followed by a westward turn over the weekend.
On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to move closer to Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti during the next couple of days.
Melissa could become a hurricane by this weekend.
A Hurricane Watch is in effect for Southwestern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince.
A Tropical Storm Warning in effect for Jamaica.
A Tropical Storm Warning has been issued for the southern peninsula of Haiti from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-Au-Prince.
A Hurricane Watch means that hurricane conditions are possible within the watch area. A watch is typically issued 48 hours before the anticipated first occurrence of tropical-storm-force winds, conditions that make outside preparations difficult or dangerous.
A Tropical Storm Warning means that tropical storm conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area within 36 hours. Interests elsewhere in Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Cuba should monitor the progress of Melissa.
Surface observations and satellite data indicate that the maximum sustained winds are near 45 mph with higher gusts. As the system remains nearly-stationary over very warm water, strengthening is expected.