CSU-CIRA/RAMMB/NOAA

Tropical Storm Melissa is barely moving through the Caribbean, and that’s exactly what makes it so dangerous. The longer it lingers, the more rain it dumps. Haiti, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic could face days of relentless downpours and landslides.

As of Thursday morning, Melissa was about 300 miles southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, with sustained winds near 50 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. It’s drifting west at just 2 mph, slower than the average person on a leisurely stroll. The storm is stalled over water that’s record-hot – perfect fuel for a storm to explode in strength.

Melissa is forecast to reach hurricane strength by the weekend and could intensify rapidly into a major hurricane – Category 3 or greater – by early next week. If it doe

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