Tropical Storm Melissa Expected to Rapidly Intensify in Caribbean

Tropical Storm Melissa is already wreaking havoc across the Caribbean, and it is expected to rapidly intensify over the next few days.

Melissa formed around four days ago in the Caribbean Sea, slowly strengthening over time. Winds initially began pushing the storm at extremely fast speeds, frightening nearby islands who believed they would have no time to prepare. However, winds began reversing, and several Caribbean islands could now be at extreme risk because of the exact opposite. Due to wind patterns, Melissa reversed course before turning back once again, and the storm had slowed to a crawl. From there, the storm has inched northwest, zigzagging across the Caribbean as it approaches Jamaica and Hispaniola.

Melissa's rain bands have expanded in recent days and are already impacting Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, the latter of which experienced three deaths yesterday. Two people were killed in a landslide in Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince, while a third person was killed earlier in the week after a tree fell on him. One person was also killed and another remains missing in the Dominican Republic.

Haiti remains one of the Caribbean countries that is most at risk during hurricanes, because gang violence is quite prevalent and has caused chaos within the island country. Rampant gang violence has taken over the country, forcing people out of their homes and killing hundreds. Due to this, many Haitians are still living in shelters with poor infrastructure that can be easily flooded, sparking major concern as Melissa approaches.

Over the next few days, the tropical storm is expected to undergo rapid intensification but remain at the same speed, spelling danger for islands in its path. By tomorrow, experts predict that the storm will already be a Category 4 hurricane, and it is expected to make landfall on Jamaica on Tuesday.

The storm will bring strong winds of over 145 mph, but the storm's incredibly slow speed will drop a massive amount of rain across Jamaica and Haiti as it moves through. Meteorologists expect Melissa to drop around 25 inches of rain across Jamaica and up to 35 inches on Haiti's Tiburon Peninsula– not accounting for storm surge, which will give Jamaica an additional few feet of flooding.

After moving through Jamaica, the storm will move forward and drop around 12 inches of rain across eastern Cuba as it crosses through before emerging into the open Atlantic.

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Image credit to NOAA