“The storm surge generated by Melissa is expected to spread to Hispaniola, Jamaica and eastern Cuba over the next two days,” the NHC warns.
MIAMI, United States. – Tropical Storm Melissa, which formed this Tuesday from tropical wave AL98, is moving over the central Caribbean with maximum winds of 85 kilometers per hour (km/h) and minimum pressure of 1,003 hPa.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) issued a hurricane warning for the southwestern peninsula of Haiti – from the border with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince – and another tropical storm warning for Jamaica.
“On the forecast track, Melissa is expected to approach Jamaica and the southwestern portion of Haiti later this week,” the NHC said. “The maximum sustained winds remain close to 85 km/h with higher gusts. A gradual strengthening is expected over the next few days,” indicates the scientific entity.
For its part, the Forecast Center of the Cuban Institute of Meteorology (INSMET) reported At 6:00 p.m. this Tuesday, Melissa was moving close to the west and had slightly increased its speed to 24 kilometers per hour.
At that time, INSMET estimated the center of the system at 14.2 degrees North latitude and 73.2 degrees West longitude, a position that places the storm about 500 kilometers south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
The NHC and INSMET agree that the system will reduce its speed and rotate gradually. According to INSMET, “over the next few hours this system will begin to decrease its translational speed, gradually inclining its trajectory to the northwest. In the coming days, it will be moving slowly over the central Caribbean Sea, south of the Greater Antilles. The oceanic and atmospheric conditions will be favorable for its gradual intensification.”
The NHC confirmed: “A decrease in forward speed and a gradual turn to the northwest and north is expected over the next few days.”
Melissa’s wind field already covers an extensive maritime area. The NHC noted that “tropical storm force winds extend outward up to 220 km from the center.” In addition, he warned of dangerous conditions at sea and on land: “The swells generated by Melissa are expected to spread to Hispaniola, Jamaica and eastern Cuba over the next two days.”
The entity also warned of heavy rainfall: “Melissa will bring heavy rain to Haiti and the Dominican Republic, with totals of 5 to 10 inches expected through Friday. Additional heavy rain is possible beyond Friday, but uncertainty regarding the path and speed of Melissa’s advance reduces confidence in exact amounts.”
Due to the current position of the storm and “its slow movement over the warm waters of the Caribbean Sea and the time of year,” INSMET indicated that it was maintaining “close surveillance on the evolution and future trajectory of this system, which represents a potential danger” for the geographic area where Cuba is located.
