According to the National Civil Defense Staff, Melissa “represents a potential danger to our geographic area.”
MIAMI, United States. – The Civil Defense of Cuba issued an early warning notice this Wednesday by Tropical Storm Melissa and urged the authorities of the eastern and central regions of the Island to increase monitoring and communication with the population, while the United States National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned that the system “is moving slowly” in the central Caribbean and could intensify into a hurricane by the weekend.
According to the National Civil Defense Staff, Melissa “represents a potential danger to our geographic area.”
According to the Forecast Center of the Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) of Cuba, the storm “is located at 14.3 degrees North latitude and 74.0 degrees West longitude, a position that places it about 510 kilometers south of Kingston, Jamaica.”
The scientific entity also indicated that the storm “has maximum sustained winds of 85 kilometers per hour, with higher gusts and a central pressure of 1,000 hectopascal” and that “it is moving close to the west-northwest, with a travel speed of four kilometers per hour.”
In its 5:00 p.m. bulletin this Wednesday, the NHC stated that “a slow forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest or north-northwest is forecast over the next two days, followed by a turn back toward the west for this weekend.”
On that trajectory, “Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week.” Regarding intensity, the report warns that “some slow strengthening is forecast over the next few days” and that “Melissa could become a hurricane by Friday, with more substantial intensification forecast for the weekend.”
On the other hand, the NHC recommends attention throughout the region, specifically in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Cuba.
For the largest of the Antilles, although there are still no warnings or surveillance in effect issued by the NHC, the bulletin itself highlights the risk due to waves for the East of the country: “The swells generated by Melissa are expected to spread to Hispaniola, Jamaica and eastern Cuba during the next two days.”
In parallel, the Civil Defense of the Island demands immediate prevention and public communication actions: “The eastern and central provinces must maintain strict surveillance of the possible trajectory and development of this organization, also transmit information and permanent guidance to the population through the media and official profiles of social networks and use alternative means that facilitate direct contact with the population, prioritizing areas that are difficult to access.”
The dangers associated with Melissa’s rainfall are also significant: The NHC warns that the storm is expected to bring “5 to 10 inches of rain to southern Dominican Republic, southern Haiti, and eastern Jamaica through Saturday, with locally higher amounts possible,” and that “significant, life-threatening flash flooding and numerous landslides are possible.”
For its part, the CNN network appointment to its meteorologists by stating that “Melissa has a lot of time and energy ahead of her (…) and is expected to become a hurricane over the weekend.”
