Haiti, Jamaica and Tropical Storm Melissa
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Hurricane Melissa has formed in the Caribbean, making it the 13th named storm in the Atlantic this year, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said. Monday morning, it became a powerful Category 5 hurricane.
With slow-moving Tropical Storm Melissa expected to strengthen into a Category 1 hurricane as soon as Saturday as it churns towards Jamaica and southwest Haiti, the United Nations said Friday it's actively helping the Caribbean respond to any devastation.
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 calm, 11-mile-wide eye of Hurricane Melissa is encircled by its most ferocious winds, which are now beginning what forecasters called a “painstakingly slow turn” toward Jamaica — a crawl that will drag the storm over the island at a speed no faster than a person can walk.