Tropical Storm Melissa brings heavy rain to Haiti and Dominican Republic

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) – Tropical Storm Melissa dumped heavy rain on parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday as forecasters warned of a significant flood risk in parts of the northern Caribbean this week.

The slow-moving storm was located about 300 miles (485 kilometers) south-southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, and some 325 miles (525 kilometers) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica. It had maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph) and was moving west-northwest at 2mph (4 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.

“People across Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Jamaica need to prepare for the increasing threat of torrential rainfall, flash flooding, power outages, and roads being washed out. The impacts from Melissa could be catastrophic,” said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert.

Dominican President Luis Abinader announced that schools in nine provinces under alert would close Wednesday and Thursday, and that businesses have been urged to close by early Wednesday afternoon. Officials also urged those living in flood-prone areas to seek higher ground ahead of the storm.

A hurricane watch was in effect for southern Haiti from the border it shares with the Dominican Republic to Port-au-Prince, while Jamaica was under a tropical storm watch.

“Flooding is historically the deadliest calling card of tropical systems in this part of the world, and the threat Melissa brings will be no exception,” said Michael Lowry, a hurricane specialist and storm surge expert.

Melissa was expected to strengthen into a hurricane by Friday and approach Jamaica and southwest Haiti later this week. Hurricane conditions are possible in southern Haiti starting late Thursday, with tropical storm conditions possibly starting to affect Jamaica late Thursday or on Friday, the center said.

“There continues to be a very large uncertainty on whether the storm would … threaten Haiti or Cuba, or whether it would turn more westward to the south of Jamaica,” the National Hurricane Center said. “This should be considered an extremely uncertain forecast, and significant changes could be required.”

Lowry said long-term forecasts suggest Melissa could strengthen into a Category 3 storm or higher late this weekend or early next week.

Five to 10 inches (12-25 centimeters) of rain was forecast for southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic through Friday, with greater amounts in some areas. Several inches also were expected in Jamaica, with smaller amounts forecast for northern areas of Hispaniola, Aruba and Puerto Rico.

On Thursday, rains from Melissa snarled traffic in the Dominican Republic’s capital, Santo Domingo, and games in the country’s professional baseball league were canceled. People in Haiti grew concerned over the possibility of heavy flooding, which has devastated the country during past storms given widespread erosion.

Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season, and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration had predicted an above-normal season with 13 to 18 named storms. Of those, five to nine were forecast to become hurricanes, including two to five major hurricanes, which pack winds of 111 mph or greater.

The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.