Overview
- At the 5 a.m. ET advisory, Melissa was about 300–305 miles south-southwest of Port-au-Prince with 50 mph winds, moving west-northwest near 6–7 mph after hurricane hunters noted a center reformation.
- A hurricane watch is in effect for Haiti’s southwestern peninsula and a tropical storm watch for Jamaica, with hazardous conditions possible Thursday into Friday.
- Forecasters expect the storm to slow or stall and gradually strengthen, with Melissa likely to reach hurricane intensity this weekend.
- Heavy rain of 5–10 inches is forecast for southern Haiti and the Dominican Republic through Friday, with flooding and mudslides possible, and lower totals extending to Jamaica and Puerto Rico.
- Model guidance diverges on the longer-range track between a northward turn toward Hispaniola and a westward drift into the western Caribbean, and most outlooks keep immediate U.S. impacts unlikely.