Hurricane Melissa, Caribbean
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Hurricane Melissa is expected to strengthen before possible landfall along the Caribbean Islands. WESH 2's award-winning First Warning Weather team is monitoring the tropical system and will continue to provide updates.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami warned of "life-threatening and catastrophic flash flooding and landslides" throughout Hispaniola.
With slow-moving Tropical Storm Melissa expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Saturday as it churns towards Jamaica and southwest Haiti, the United Nations said Friday it’s actively helping the Caribbean respond to any devastation.
The National Hurricane Center's 11 p.m. Thursday advisory reported that Tropical Storm Melissa is in the Caribbean Sea, 150 miles southeast of Kingston Jamaica and 270 miles southwest of Port Au Prince Haiti. With maximum sustained winds of 45 mph, the system is moving to the north at 3 mph.