12:30 UPDATE:
ORLANDO, Fla. — Hurricane Hunters have found winds of 60 mph with Tropical Storm Melissa.
A special 12:30 pm update has been issued to note this increase.
The next intermediate advisory is at 2 pm, with a full advisory (updated forecast cone) at 5 p.m.
PREVIOUS STORY:
Tropical Storm Melissa remains disorganized on Friday morning in the Caribbean with rapid intensification still likely this weekend.
The 11 am advisory from the National Hurricane Center had winds of 45 mph.
Tropical Storm Warnings and Hurricane Watches remain in effect for Jamaica and the southern sections of Haiti.
A Hurricane Warning is possible for Jamaica later Friday.
Interests in the Dominican Republic and Cuba should continue to monitor future forecasts.
Melissa is still likely to organize quickly in the next 24 hours and become a hurricane on Saturday.
The forecast is that Melissa will become a Category 4 major hurricane on Monday.
Melissa is expected to slowly move northward on Friday, then turn to the west over the weekend.
The storm will likely be near or just south of Jamaica early next week.
Hurricane conditions are possible in Jamaica and southern Haiti this weekend, with tropical storm-force winds arriving in southern Haiti Friday night or Saturday.
Through Monday, the complex will produce 10-20 inches of rainfall in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Jamaica. Isolated storm totals over 25 inches are possible.
This will result in catastrophic and life-threatening flash flooding.
In the long term, the system is anticipated to lift northeastward and could move over eastern Cuba by the middle of next week.
At this time, Melissa is anticipated to stay south and southeast of Florida but could move across the Bahamas late next week.
Stay with Severe Weather Center 9 for the latest on the tropics.
Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.
©2025 Cox Media Group
