Tropical Storm Melissa brings heavy rain to Haiti, Dominican Republic

Rain from Tropical Storm Melissa snarled traffic in the Dominican Republic’s capital Santo Domingo Wednesday.

Tropical Storm Melissa dumped heavy rain on parts of Haiti and the Dominican Republic 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.

President Luis Abinader announced that schools in nine provinces under alert would close on 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.

“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.

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.

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.