Tropical Storm Melissa stationary in the Caribbean as forecasters warn it will quickly intensify
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Tropical Storm Melissa was nearly stationary in the central Caribbean early Friday, with forecasters warning it could soon strengthen and brush past Jamaica as a powerful hurricane while unleashing catastrophic flash flooding and landslides in southern Haiti.
The erratic storm is expected to drop copious rain on Jamaica and the southern regions of Haiti and the Dominican Republic through the weekend. At least three people have been reported killed in Haiti.
“The rainfall is a huge risk with the storm,” said Michael Brennan, director of the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami. “Rainfall has historically been the biggest cause of loss of life of tropical storms and hurricanes in the Caribbean.”
Melissa was located about 185 miles (300 kilometers) southeast of Kingston, Jamaica, and about 260 miles (415 kilometers) southwest of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph) and was moving east-southeast at 1 mph (2 kph), according to the U.S. center.
A hurricane watch and a tropical storm warning were in effect for Jamaica and the southwestern peninsula of Haiti. The National Hurricane Center warned that heavy rainfall will cause “catastrophic flash flooding and landslides across southwestern Haiti by this weekend into early next week.” Strong winds could also potentially last for a day or more over Haiti’s Tiburon peninsula.
Haiti’s Civil Protection Agency reported that a landslide in Port-au-Prince killed two people and injured another, bringing the death toll to three. Earlier this week, a large tree fell on an elderly man in southern Haiti, killing him, while five other people in the country’s central region were injured in flooding. The U.N. has prepared more than 100 emergency shelters in Haiti’s southern region.
Melissa is expected to slowly begin moving closer to Jamaica over the weekend. It is forecast to strengthen into a hurricane by Saturday and become a major hurricane by the end of the weekend, possibly reaching Category 4 status by Tuesday.
Forecasters said Jamaica’s eastern region could receive up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain, which could lead to flooding and landslides due to already saturated ground from recent heavy rains unrelated to the storm. The storm’s slow movement means parts of Jamaica could experience hurricane conditions for 72 hours or longer, said Alex DaSilva, AccuWeather’s lead hurricane expert.
“Melissa is evolving into a slow-motion disaster,” he said. “Millions of people are at risk of catastrophic impacts. We are increasingly concerned about the threat of a humanitarian disaster unfolding, especially if this storm stalls.”
Schools, health centers, and government offices closed across Jamaica on Thursday, with authorities warning that all airports would close within 24 hours if a hurricane warning is issued.
“The situation is indeed serious,” said Matthew Samuda, Jamaica’s minister of economic growth and job creation.
Up to 14 inches (36 centimeters) of rain is also forecast for southern Haiti and the southern Dominican Republic, with higher amounts possible through Sunday. The storm has already knocked out dozens of water supply systems in the neighboring Dominican Republic, affecting nearly a million customers. It also downed trees and traffic lights and caused a couple of small landslides.
All public schools across the Dominican Republic were closed Friday, and government offices in 12 provinces under alert followed suit. Officials emphasized that evacuations in areas under alert are mandatory.
“This is an event that we should be following minute by minute,” said Juan Manuel Méndez García, emergency operations director in the Dominican Republic.
“The main thing here is to save lives. The risk is the enormous amount of rain,” said Dominican President Luis Abinader.
Melissa is the 13th named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season and the first named storm to form in the Caribbean this year. The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) 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 with winds of 111 mph (178 kph) or greater.
The Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 to November 30.
https://whdh.com/news/tropical-storm-melissa-stationary-in-the-caribbean-as-forecasters-warn-it-will-quickly-intensify/
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