Hurricane Melissa, Tropical Storm and Caribbean islands
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Hurricane Melissa is currently a Category 1 storm with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph as it's "starting to accelerate northeastward over the Bahamas," the National Hurricane Center said.
Tropical Storm Melissa is likely to undergo rapid intensification and grow into a powerful Category 4 hurricane.
Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to become a major hurricane over the weekend. The storm is currently located in the Caribbean and is not expected to directly hit Florida. Jamaica and Haiti are under hurricane and tropical storm watches and warnings.
The strengthening storm is most likely to approach Jamaica and/or Hispaniola late this week. In the days that follow from there, the potential path for the storm remains uncertain, and troubling.
Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to bring catastrophic flash flooding and landslides to parts of the Dominican Republic, Haiti and Jamaica.
Tropical Storm Melissa is expected to become a major hurricane by Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center.
The National Hurricane Center predicts that Melissa could become a monster Category 4 hurricane as it skirts around Jamaica early next week.
What was once a very powerful storm has now weakened into scraps. As of Friday morning, Melissa has officially become a post-tropical storm, meaning that there are no longer any active storms around the Atlantic Ocean.
Did you know there's a "hall of infamy" of notorious hurricanes and tropical storms? Melissa is likely to join that club. Here's why its name won't be used for a future storm.
What began as a 40th birthday trip to Jamaica became a fight for survival when Hurricane Melissa struck the island as a Category 5 storm.