Update | Tropical storm watch now in effect for Jamaica as TS Melissa forms

A Tropical Storm watch is now in effect for Jamaica, the Meteorological Service has announced.

The watch was issued as Tropical Storm (TS) Melissa formed in the Caribbean Sea on Tuesday amid warnings from forecasters that heavy rain, flooding and strong winds could hit Haiti and Jamaica later this week.

The US National Hurricane Center issued a hurricane watch for parts of Haiti.

On Tuesday morning, Melissa was about 480 kilometres south of Port-au-Prince, Haiti, with maximum sustained winds of 80 kph. It was moving west at 23 kph.

Officials said Haiti and the Dominican Republic could see 13 to 25 centimetres of rainfall by Friday, with Aruba, Puerto Rico and Jamaica getting 2.5 to 8 centimetres of rain.

As a result, the Met Service said fisher folks on the cays and banks should evacuate “immediately” and start returning to the mainland.

Small craft operators already at sea are urged to return to land while those in port are being warned not to venture out.

“When the system is in the vicinity of Jamaica it is expected to produce locally heavy rainfall, strong gusty winds, possibly reaching tropical storm force primarily over northeastern and southern parishes late Wednesday and Thursday,” the Met Service said.

The rainfall is forecast to continue into next weekend.

The Met Service said it is closely monitoring the progress of this system.

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