(NEW YORK) — Tropical Storm Melissa, which is taking aim on the Caribbean, may strengthen to a hurricane in the next 24 to 48 hours.
The storm will stay away from the mainland United States. Instead, Melissa poses the biggest threat to Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica, where days of heavy rain and severe winds could lead to life-threatening landslides.
Here’s the latest forecast:
Melissa is moving over water temperatures 4 to 5 degrees above average for this time of year, which will help it strengthen from a tropical storm into a hurricane.
Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week.
The storm is forecast to bring 5 to 10 inches of rain to the southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti and eastern Jamaica through Satur