Tropical Storm Melissa continues westward

ORLANDO, Fla. — Tropical Storm Melissa is still disorganized as it continues to move westward in the southern Caribbean.

Over the next 24 hours, Melissa will start to turn northward and stall south of the central Caribbean.

Two centers of high pressure over the Gulf of Mexico and over the Bahamas will block this storm from tracking north through the weekend.

This could cause a major flooding threat in Haiti, the Dominican Republic and potentially Jamaica.

Some rain projections are bringing those island coastal areas as much as 8 to 10 inches of rain between tonight and the weekend.

The good news is that this will be a slow-developing storm. It is unlikely to become a hurricane until Friday or early Saturday morning even with all the warm water available in the southern Caribbean.

Long-term model projections have Melissa tracking through the Caribbean and moving out of the region through the northeast. This means the storm will pose no threat to us here in Florida considering current projections.

There will be many changes with the storm over the next few days. We will keep you updated throughout the life cycle of the storm.

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